Toxicology wing alone has a pending list of about 11,000 samples collected by the police in cases related to suicide, murder and unnatural death, say officials
Toxicology wing alone has a pending list of about 11,000 samples collected by the police in cases related to suicide, murder and unnatural death, say officials
Acute staff shortage and lack of modern equipment have created a huge backlog of samples for testing at the Regional Chemical Examiner’s Laboratory at Kakkanad.
The toxicology wing alone has a pending list of about 11,000 samples collected by the police in cases related to suicide, murder and unnatural death, according to senior officials. Of the average 400 to 450 samples received at the section monthly, only 100-150 samples are being tested presently owing to the serious shortage of trained personnel, they said.
The regional lab at Kakkanad, which is under the Home department, tests samples collected from Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Idukki. There are only seven Assistant Chemical Examiners and Technical Assistants each to take care of the numerous samples being submitted at the lab by enforcement agencies.
Officials said the lack of adequate modern equipment is another hurdle in the timely completion of the testing process. The existing Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry equipment often runs into technical troubles and service engineers had already flagged the need to replace the old system.
As per official estimates, there are about 3,000 pending narcotic samples. The number of samples submitted by Police and Excise departments had witnessed a spike in recent years. From the previous average of 100-150 samples, the average monthly count has gone up to 400-500.
The regional lab is also facing financial crunch for meeting emergency expenses. Officials are often forced to spend money from their pockets for computer or printer maintenance. The inordinate delay in creating new posts is being cited as the main reason for not increasing the headcount at the regional lab. The situation is similar at the regional lab in Kozhikode, said officials.
The Home department is yet to act on a proposal to set up one lab each for two districts in view of the spurt in the number of samples. Recommendations for more infrastructure facilities and technical staff are also in the pipeline.
