UT wants nicotine tests in Punjab laboratory

CHANDIGARH: The UT administration would ask the Union government to allow the Punjab government's food lab in Sector 11 to allow tests of nicotine substances.
Currently, the UT sends samples to Sector 36-based Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). Huge pendency of various types of samples has forced UT to seek help.
"The Sector 11-based laboratory comes under the Punjab government.We have got consent from the state government to test nicotine substances from their laboratory but since the power to notify this rule is with the central government, we have decided to write to them," said a senior UT officer.
Sources said the authority has seized and sent five samples to confirm nicotine to CFSL and none of them has been examined or tested. "The waiting list in CFSL is around two years and most of the cases of various other categories are hanging fire for many years. We have no option but to go to another lab," sources added.
The administration has adopted zero tolerance against the presence of nicotine. A team of health department along with Chandigarh Police recently raided a few eateries.
The UT administration has written to the ministry of home affairs to delegate powers to it to penalize narcotic substance violators a few days ago. The UT had written to the central government that powers were with the ministry of home affairs and not delegated to it.