Jammu, May 31: The position of commissioner in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been lying vacant since the retirement of Hashmat Ali Yauto in February, an RTI activist said on Saturday, questioning the delay in filling the vacancy.Jammu dining guide
\nJammu-based RTI activist Raman Kumar Sharma had filed two applications in April with the health and medical education department using Jammu and Kashmir government\u2019s RTI portal, asking who had been appointed to the post of commissioner after Yauto\u2019s retirement and reason for the delay in appointing a new officer in his place.
\n\u201cThe Health & Medical Education Department transferred the applications to the Food Safety Department and finally it was responded to on May 19, confirming that the post is still lying vacant and that the matter is with the General Administration Department (GAD),\u201d Sharma told PTI on Saturday.
\nHe said no timeline or proposal was shared in the reply.
\nYauto, an IAS officer, retired as commissioner of the FDA on superannuation on February 28. The FDA commissioner is responsible for enforcing food safety laws, licensing, inspections, and ensuring the availability of safe and standard quality food and medicines to the public.
\nAccording to the amended J&K Reorganisation Act, the Lt Governor has been granted powers to transfer IAS officers while the postings of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officers remain with the Chief Minister\u2019s Office (CMO).
\n\u201cIt is shocking that almost three months have passed and the government has neither appointed a new officer nor assigned the charge to anyone in an officiating capacity,\u201d Sharma said.
\nHe said the absence of the chief has raised serious concerns about the functioning and accountability of the department.
\nIn the past, Sharma said even the Jammu & Kashmir High Court had to intervene in the matter, underlining the importance of filling the post without delay due to its direct link with public health and safety.
\n\u201cThis is a critical post. The government\u2019s delay is disappointing,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cthere is no transparency and the silence of the authorities is worrying.\u201d (Agencies)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jammu, May 31: The position of commissioner in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been lying vacant since the retirement of Hashmat Ali Yauto in February, an RTI activist said on Saturday, questioning the delay in filling the vacancy.Jammu dining guide Jammu-based RTI activist Raman Kumar Sharma had filed two applications in April with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4205","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jammu"},"yoast_head":"\n