JAMMU, Jun 29: Renowned RTI/Social activist Balvinder Singh has questioned the huge gap between the lofty promises made in the Citizen Charter of the Drug & Food Control Organisation, J&K, and the alarming ground reality, alleging that the Food Safety Wing appears to be functioning more on paper than in practice.
During his recent journey from Lakhanpur to Kashmir, Balvinder Singh observed numerous roadside vendors openly selling uncovered and unhygienic food items at several prominent tourist destinations. From Bhalla vendors at Lakhanpur to stalls selling Pratha-Halwa, Pakoras and Jalebi outside famous tourist spots such as Shalimar Garden, Nishat Garden in Srinagar and Kokernag in Anantnag, food was being sold in conditions posing a serious threat to public health.
Ironically, while the department’s Citizen Charter promises an “Adulteration Free & Disease Free Jammu & Kashmir” and assures that food sold is safe and fit for consumption, the situation on the ground reflects poor enforcement, unchecked violations and complete disregard for food safety norms.
“The department’s own Citizen Charter promises safe food, but the public is being served dust, flies and contamination. If this is the implementation of its vision, one is compelled to ask whether the Food Safety Wing exists merely on paper,” Balvinder Singh remarked.
He questioned what the enforcement machinery has been doing despite such blatant violations occurring in full public view at places visited daily by thousands of tourists and local residents. Referring to photographs of the unhygienic conditions, he said they expose the reality far better than official claims or annual reports.
Balvinder Singh urged the Commissioner, Food Safety, J&K, to immediately launch a special enforcement drive across the Union Territory. He demanded regular surprise inspections of roadside vendors, strict enforcement of hygiene standards, and stringent action, including penalties and suspension or cancellation of licences of violators. He also called for regular awareness and training programmes for food vendors on safe food handling and sanitation.
He further revealed that when one departmental official was contacted and asked what action the department was taking, the official stated that the department had collected lakhs of rupees as fines. Balvinder Singh asserted that merely collecting revenue through fines is not the solution. “People need adulteration-free and disease-free food, not revenue generation,” he said, adding that protecting public health is a constitutional obligation that demands visible enforcement, not merely impressive slogans.