INDORE: The state's dependency on a single laboratory in Bhopal is likely to reduce in a couple of years as the food and drug administration has approached the Centre and state government to sanction funds for three new food and drug laboratories."We have sent proposals to the Centre and state government to sanction Rs 12 crore each to establish laboratories in Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior ," joint controller, food and drug administration, Pramod Shukla told TOI. He added both the governments will bear costs in a 60:40 per cent ratio."Filling the posts of deputy drug controller for all three places is in its last phase. We are coordinating with the public works department (PWD) to get an estimate for developing the labs," Shukla said.He added seven deputy drug controller posts have been sanctioned and filled for the lab in Indore."Out of 1,000 food samples sent to Bhopal lab every month, around 150 are from Indore division," senior food safety officer Manish Swami told TOI. According to rules, food sample reports should be made available in 14 days. But in most cases, reports are delayed for some reason or the other. Besides, drug sample reports take months to come."With these new labs, the time taken to deliver reports will reduce," Swami said. Around a year ago, the district administration had allotted 40,000 square feet land in Talawali Chanda to the food and drug administration to develop the lab."The work to erect fences around the plot to prevent any encroachment has been assigned to nodal officer Shobhit Koshta. If all goes according to plan, the lab proposed in Indore is expected to be completed in one year," Shukla said.

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