Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is set to reinitiate its food testing lab after a hiatus of five years, providing a much-needed alternative for citizens and businesses seeking affordable and prompt testing services. Dr Sarika Funde, veterinary superintendent of PMC, confirmed that the tender to operate the facility had been floated last month, with the bidding process now closed.
While the city currently relies on a single government-run testing lab and a handful of private alternatives, the former is grappling with a backlog of food samples awaiting analysis reports. Private labs, on the other hand, often charge exorbitant fees.
Dr Sarika Funde explained, “We have received a few proposals to run the facility, out of which the agency with the highest bid has been shortlisted. The proposal is now with the legal department for scrutiny, and once cleared, the contract will be allotted.”
The anonymous senior official from PMC’s health department revealed that the revived lab would offer services at nominal rates, aiming to reduce the waiting period for analysis reports.
Established in 2014 at a cost of ₹7.7 crore, the lab had obtained National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation. However, it ceased operations in September 2019 when the contract with a private agency concluded. Delays in appointing a new agency were attributed to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Bhagwan Pawar, health officer of PMC, clarified that the private agency, once selected, would pay a monthly rent of around ₹2.80 lakhs to PMC. Despite this, water, food, and meat samples sent by PMC for testing would receive priority attention and incur nominal charges.
