According to the Resident Doctors Association president Dr Jaswant Jangra, they have been verbally informed by the food safety officers that the samples have failed. (File)Delhi food safety department officials, who conducted an inspection of the hostel messes at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), have said that the food samples collected from the institute have failed the food safety test.
“At least four samples out of seven, including chicken curry and paneer and chutney, have failed the test,” said designated officer Ranjit Singh, who conducted the inspection, adding that the report of eight more samples is yet to arrive.
“Notices will be issued to mess contractors and an inquiry will be initiated at the ADM (additional district magistrate’s) office if they fail to improve quality standards after being given improvement notice,” Singh said. “The report with Food and Safety Department Commissioner Neha Bansal’s signature will be out today (Tuesday),” he added.
On August 25, a team of six food safety officers collected samples of food items from the mess at each of the hostels and sent them for inspection. During the inspection, it was found that the mess facility at many of the hostels did not have a licence, and hostel mess no. 7 showed the licence of hostel mess no. 12, Singh said.
According to the Resident Doctors Association president Dr Jaswant Jangra, they have been verbally informed by the food safety officers that the samples have failed. “We have not been given any report in written so far. Most likely, we will get it today (Tuesday),” he added.
The mess facilities at these hostels have been functioning in unhygienic conditions for the last two years, he said. “We have made several complaints to higher authorities against the mess vendors. A number of them do not have proper licences and there has been no audit by the institute,” Dr Jangra added.