FAISALABAD (January 15 2010): Chairman Punjab Task Force for Essential Commodities S. A. Hameed has said the C M Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is firmly committed to wipe out the adulteration mafia and elements involved in profiteering in the items of daily use, for which planning is being finalised to launch a comprehensive and result-oriented campaign, in the province.

He was addressing a media conference here at the Committee Room of the Commissioner's Office. Giving details of the strategy, he informed that the national and multinational companies and factories, which were producing and manufactures edibles, would be registered.

They had been asked to print visibly the date of manufacturing, expiry date, ingredients of concerned items, license number, retail price and the name of concerned companies and factories on the packets of their products otherwise, pre-packet items not having these information and details would not be allowed sale in the market, he elaborated. Legal actions would also be taken against the defaulters, besides confiscating their products, he added.

Hameed informed that the DCOs and EDOs Health of all districts of the province had been directed to launch a campaign for taking samples of the edibles, and weekly report should be sent to the Punjab government in this regard. He said that under the instructions of CM Punjab, a modern and latest food-testing laboratory had been established at Lahore at a cost of Rs 100 million, which would be made functional within a few months.

Moreover, the food testing laboratories at Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Muiltan and Bahawalpur were being upgraded for which necessary funds had been provided by the CM Punjab, he maintained. He said the mobile food-testing laboratory would also be provided for on the spot testing of the edibles, in Punjab.

Factories and manufacturers had also been directed to get the medical tests of their employees and other persons, associated with their concerned sections and this exercise would be carried out every year regularly, he added. The chairman task force further said that the commissioners and the DCOs had been assigned duties to carryout surveys in their respective divisional and district headquarters for evaluating the prices, adulteration issues and the matters relating to implementing price control act.

Thus, a comprehensive report should be provided to the Punjab government within a week for launching a vigorous campaign against the adulteration mafia and profiteers to control the artificial price hike and menace of adulteration. Hameed appealed to the media to extend their co-operation for creating awareness, regarding the consumer rights and promote trends against the profiteers and adulteration mafia. MPAs Kh. Muhammad Islama, Rana Muhammad Afzal, Dr Khalid Imtiaz Baloch and Mian Muhammad Rafique were also present on the occasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010