Essential items' adulteration

Creditably for him, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has turned his attention to the menace of adulteration. Speaking at a price control meeting the other day, he said adulteration is a more serious crime than profiteering, adding that elements engaged in food adulteration are playing with lives and deserved deterrent punishment. Indeed, adulteration is a major public health issue in this country.
From medicines to aerated drinks, milk, ground spices, to candy nothing is safe for human consumption. Production and sale of spurious items of course is not restricted to food and medicines, it covers almost every item of domestic as well as commercial use. The problem is more common in smaller towns and rural areas because people are less aware and the checking mechanism either non-existent or too weak.
It goes without saying that the primary responsibility to protect people from products that harm human health lies with government. Unfortunately, none of the provincial governments can claim credit for fulfilling that responsibility. There have been off and on campaigns. Relevant laws exist too, though they may be lenient.
As Shahbaz Sharif pointed out, in certain cases people can get away with fine where they deserve to be put behind bars. Nonetheless laws provide for jail terms as well, depending on the gravity of a crime. But rarely do the culprits get caught. The real problem is implementation. For instance, instead of random sampling an unscrupulous drug inspector may check only those medicines that a proprietor wants him to test and give a clean chit for. An effective enforcement of the existing laws and rules clearly is in order.
The CM announced some important measures that entail constant vigilance from commissioner to the CM level. He has directed all divisional commissioners to ensure supply of adulteration-free essential items to the people, and adopt a comprehensive monitoring system towards that end. Equally important, those officials are to send him regular reports so he knows the progress being made. Similarly, he demanded expeditious implementation of a proposal under which food testing laboratories are to be set up to hold the purveyors of fake projects to account.
Equally important is the decision to establish a special helpline with the cooperation of local newspapers and cable networks in different divisions, where citizens would be able to lodge complaints against the elements involved in adulteration, profiteering as well as short-measuring. Such a name and shame campaign coupled with a proactive governmental oversight can go a long way in curbing the menace of adulteration.