ISLAMABAD: The cut fruits being sold on the roadside of the twin cites of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are an open invitation to ailments, especially those related to stomach.
Several vendors can be seen selling cut fruits on the roadside at Melody, Abpara, Karachi company , Commercial Market, Saddar etc.
During lunch time, scores of people feed themselves on these cut fruits, oblivious of the fact that these are a serious health hazard. Reason being that vendors do not clean or cover the fruits properly.
Senior Citizen Arshad Ali while talking to APP said that 'concerned authorities should undertake drive oftenly. When they introduce any new rule, they ask people to follow it and its mandatory. But later the officials fail to find whether the rule is implemented effectively.
A student Amir Shah expressed his views and said that vendors should be first made aware of ill-effect caused by selling edible food stuffs in open.
Dr Aftab Ali Malik at Polyclinic said that there is an increase in number of patients suffering with stomach ailments and many patients are from the urban areas.
Many of these patients often eat roadside eateries and consume fruits, salad and other eatables sold openly in market, she added. Students too are major consumers of these eatables, he said.
The sale of cut fruits and uncovered eatables is going unchecked in many areas and thereby threatening human lives with contagious diseases like typhoid, cholera and gastroenteritis, said Dr Aftab Malik.
"Be it school, colleges, high court or even hospitals, all are vulnerable points for anyone to get affected by one or the other ailments caused by these open eateries", he added.
Dr Haroon at PIMS hospital also said that consumption of open eatables is not only dangerous, but poisonous too. "Fuel pollution which has harmful gases, carbon fumes, besides dust in the atmosphere settles down on cut fruits and uncovered eatables.
There are flies and mosquitoes which spread diseases like gastro, typhoid and cholera, he added.
When an official of food quality control was contacted, he claimed that crackdowns are conducted regularly against the violators and several times strict actions were taken in this regard.
He said that "We are already working on a campaign that will be launched soon to ensure people's health.
Even people themselves must not eat at such eateries where they find that proper hygiene instructions are not followed, he added.