THE National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) Government Of India has suspended the accreditation of Anacon Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. situated in FP-34, 35 MIDC Food Park, Butibori. The suspension notice of accreditation status was sent to Director And Quality Manager, Dr S D Garway of the Anacon Laboratory by Deputy Director of complaints NABL on January 14. Anacon Laboratory is among the 20 laboratories in the country whose accreditation is suspended. A list of suspended laboratories in the country has been placed on the official website of NABL on January 23 for public information. The letter sent to Anacon Laboratory by NABL has clearly mentioned, “With reference to the previous show cause notice issued by NABL on December 10, 2019, and your letter on December 17, 2019, NABL had found the reply unsatisfactory. Your laboratory had admitted the mis-use of NABL symbol and no valid facts were shared additionally by laboratory representatives, during personal hearing on January 7. In view of the above the complaint issues are found genuine and NABL has received valid complaints against the laboratory, hence committee recommends for keeping the accreditation status of your laboratory under‘Suspension’ category with immediate effect as per condition no 5 of clause 4.5 of NABL 216 issue no 6.” NABL in its‘Procedures for dealing with adverse decisions’ issue no 06 dated May 19, 2016 and amendment no 5 dated January 2, 2019 in its clause 4.5 has mentioned the conditions for suspension.

 

NABL had taken this decision to suspend the accreditation following repeated valid complaints against the laboratory. The notice further directed the laboratory not to use the NABL symbol/LAC mark or claim NABL accreditation in any form during the suspension period. The suspension status has been imposed for the period of 60 days for the entire CAB (Conformity Assessment Bodies) activities and CAB must notify to NABL DO about corrective action taken and desire to undergo assessment. Anacon Laboratories Pvt Ltd. was established initially as an analytical testing laboratory and is a leading Environmental Consultancy firm backed by a state-of-the-art testing lab for Environment and Food Testing in central India region.

 

The laboratory has claimed that it has been recognised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi, and accredited to the Quality Council of India (QCI) for conducting environmental studies for various industries. It also has claimed that the laboratory division of Anacon was accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL, Govt. Of India) for a total of 600 parameters in the areas of chemical and biological testing for water, food and agricultural products, cereals and pulses, bakery products, spices and condiments, milk and dairy products, and, chemical testing of ores and minerals, coal/coke, cosmetics, oil, petroleum and petrochemicals, etc. Despite these tall claims of the laboratory, it was under continuous scanner since last few years.

 

The laboratory had applied for the permission for soil testing and sent an application to District Agriculture Superintendent in 2018. Even a team district level technical assessment committee had found many discrepancies in its working and rejected the permission for soil testing. A social worker and activist without disclosing his name has alleged lot of misappropriation of Government grants and funds in the name of soil testing. He said, “The analytical laboratories in the country are engaged in the business of siphoning and misuse of crores of rupees given by Government as subsidy. These laboratories are giving fake reports in coordination with central and state pollution control board. Soil health card scheme is a mockery. These laboratories had looted crores of rupees in the name of soil testing reports. Every laboratory is earning two to four crores per year with fake reports. No farmer in the country could understand the report and its result. This is the reason an in-depth investigation of the functioning of the laboratories should be initiated by the government.”