LAHORE - First time in the country more than 30 senior doctors including MSs and DMSs of government hospitals will work as food inspectors to check spiralling food adulteration besides ensuring the hygienic standards in all food manufacturing companies and hotels in the City in light of Pure Food Rules 2007. The Punjab government has approved the plan to delegate powers of food inspectors to medical superintendents, deputy medical superintendents and senior doctors of government hospitals including Mayo Hospital, Gangaram Hospital, Mental Hospital, Mian Munshi Hospital, Kot Khawja Saeed Hospital, Mozang Hospital, Lady Wallington Hospital, Nawaz Sharif Hosptial and all other district government hospitals. Formal notification in this regard is likely to be issued soon. Performing the obligations of food inspectors will be an additional charge of the 30 doctors. With this move, strength of the food inspector in the City, which stands at 9 will reach 39. Moreover CDG food department has submitted the summary of 10 new food inspectors appointments and after it total number of food inspectors will stand at 49. However experts believe that more than 100 food inspectors are dire need of hour in the City. The Nation reliably learnt on Wednesday that government has yet to decide whether the powers delegated to MSs, DMSs and senior doctors as food inspectors will be a stopgap arrangement or thiss will be a permanent change. When contacted DO (Food) Masood Ashraf said that the decision would go a long way in reaping the benefits of pure food rules 2007 as the appointment has been made according to rules and regulations. He said now West Pakistan Pure Food Rules 1965 has now been replaced with Pure Food Rules 2007 according to which health officers were the ex-officio food inspectors. Health Officers as per notification in the official Gazette, specify in this behalf shall be ex-officio inspectors of all foods within the limits of their respective jurisdiction. Now doctor food inspectors will have the powers to detain and search any vehicle or package of any food intended for sale or in the course of delivery if he has reason to suspect that the food therein carried or contained may be injurious to health, unwholesome or unfit for human consumption or is not of the same nature, substance or quality which it purports to be. They will enter into and inspect any market, godown, shop, stall or other place used for the sale of any food intended for human consumption or for the preparation, manufactur or storage of any such food for the purposes of trade or sale. They will take a sample under section 18 and inspect and examine any food and any apparatus, utensils or vessel used for preparing, manufacturing or containing food. They can seize food, apparatus, utensil or vessel under sub-section when any food, apparatus, utensil or vessel is seized under sub-section (3), it may be destroyed. The will also minimise chances of utilisation of bogus certificates for getting licenses for the food outlets and will ensure that all people involved in food handlings should get medical examination of all food handlers from Mayo Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, General Hospital and Mian Munshi Hospital.