Telangana High Court directs state to recruit food inspectors, controller

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the principal secretary, health, to submit details with regard to the number of posts required to be created in order to ensure that the health of the people is safeguarded.

The direction was issued when the court was dealing with a public interest litigation it had taken up in 2015 with regard to the use of prohibited chemicals in ripening fruits.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy also directed the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) to fill up 36 posts of food safety inspectors / food safety officers, six posts of gazetted food inspector and one post of assistant food controller, which are lying vacant, within a period of two months. The bench directed the principal secretary to assess the number of posts required, keeping in mind the population of the state, and to inform the court with regard to the time period which is needed for creation of additional posts.

The court directed the government to file an affidavit on the steps taken by it for controlling the production and marketing of fruit-ripening chemicals like carbide.

Stating that the government should show concern on the health of the people, which is constitutionally bound to look after the health and well-being of the people, the bench asked the state in delaying the recruitment of food safety officers posts.

The expressed anxiety on keeping back the fill up of posts, which control the contamination of food, the bench said that the public are facing severe serious health hazards and neurological problems with the eatables and fruits are deliberately being contaminated by the chemicals.