Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology Choudhary Zulfkar Ali today laid the foundation stone for Working Standard Laboratory Complex of Legal Metrology Department here near Supply Morh, Udhampur.MLA Udhampur Pawan Gupta, Secretary to Government FCS&CA Shafiq Ahmed Raina, Deputy Commissioner Niraj Kumar, Director FCS &CA G.S. Chib, SSP Dr. Shailendra Kumar Mishra were also present on the occasion.Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony, the Minister highlighted the crucial role of Legal Metrology department in enforcing and maintaining uniformity and accuracy in the weight and measuring instruments used by the traders in the state. He added that far reaching reforms have been introduced by the Government to strengthen the department and enable it to perform its role more effectively.“The construction of working standard laboratories in various districts and Research labs in Jammu and Srinagar are some path breaking steps taken in this direction,” said the Minister.
He asked the State Housing Board - the executing agency, to complete the construction of the complex in a time bound manner. “After the availability of the facility in their own districts, the local traders need not to visit Jammu or some other places for standardization and calibration of weight instruments,” he asserted.Reiterating that the Government is committed to the equitable development of all the regions of the state, the Minister said that the people are feeling the change.The Minister also congratulated the department and the people for getting a Working Standard laboratory complex at Udhampur and further informed that Rs 50 lakh have been provided by the Central Government for the construction of the complex.The Minister also listed the steps taken by the state government foe effective implementation of NFSA adding that every possible step has been taken to ensure that the people may not face shortage of food grain (ration) in any part of the state. “The Government has done its level best to bring transparency in the procurement and distribution of ration and the outcome has changed the perception of the people regarding the department” he added.Earlier, MLA Pawan Gupta, while speaking on the occasion, highlighted the benefits that the business establishments would get after the commissioning of the Laboratory. He also requested the Minister for opening a Research and Development Centre at Udhampur.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary FCS&CA informed that the construction work of working standard labs has also been started in Kathua and Rajouri adding that the construction work in some other districts would also be started very soon.Among others, Deputy General Manager A. N. Kundal, Deputy Controller LMD Manoj Prabhakar, AD FCS&CA Haroon Naik, AC LMD Udhampur Anita Sharma, AC LMD Kathua Jaideep Sambyal , Tehsildar Udhampur Javed Iqbal besides other district officers and large number of people attended the programme.