Ranchi, June 5: Second capital Dumka in Santhal Pargana is soon set to host Jharkhand's second food and drug testing laboratory, which is likely to outdo the existing one in Namkum, Ranchi, in terms of both technology and manpower.

The Dumka one is likely to come up by year-end, state health department sources told The Telegraph.

The health department has received possession of a brand-new multi-storey building at Dumka's sadar hospital premises, which will be converted into a food and drug lab. A week ago, a formal proposal to create around 100 posts for the Dumka lab was sent to the government.

"We are aggressively pursuing the new laboratory project at our end and the response from the government too has been positive," state drug controller Ritu Sahay told The Telegraph.

"All I can say at this point is that things are moving at a satisfactory speed. In the past meeting, state health secretary (K. Vidyasagar) suggested the new building at sadar hospital in Dumka be converted into a food and drug lab. Everyone agreed to his suggestion and we have begun working on the modalities," she added.

She also confirmed that the file for creation of posts and setting up requisite facilities at the proposed Dumka lab had been sent for government nod.

"The health department also had some queries in respect to our proposal, to which we have furnished our reply, so we are happy at the pace in which things are moving," Sahay said.

Explaining their urgency to start the Dumka lab soon, she said they can't conduct many tests at the Namkum facility.

"We are handicapped to do biological tests of any medicine, one of the most prominent examinations, as we don't have a microbiology unit here," explained Sahay.

The Namkum testing lab, built in 2009 at a cost of Rs 2 crore, lacks equipment to test chemical components, cutting a sorry figure during the ongoing Maggi row when the state was forced to send 18 samples to Calcutta.

"Any laboratory for food and drug has to have at least six components. They are R&D cell, chemical unit, instruments, physical cosmetic detection section, indigenous section and microbiological testing unit," Sahay said.

She added that they could do basic tests of physical components and make at Namkum but not in-depth ones of drugs.

"That's why we aim to make the proposed Dumka lab high-end and upgraded from the word go. We have proposed before the government everything we need in terms of important units and manpower," she added.