Punjab minister admits failure to check food adulteration

LAHORE: Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin addressing the Punjab Assembly on Friday admitted the failure of Punjab Food Authority and his department in tackling the serious crime of food adulteration and use of expired products by restaurants across the province.
Faced with criticism over the use of expired meat imported by a multinational chain of restaurants, Yasin confessed to the rise of dangerous adulteration of food and beverages. After being requested by PML-N MPA Sheikh Alauddin to respond to alarming reports of food adulteration and on instructions of the Speaker, the minister expressed his disappointment with malpractices of restaurant and factory owners in Punjab.
He pointed to a restaurant located on MM Alam Road, which he claimed to have used bones for the owner’s dogs stored in the fridge along with other ingredients used by the restaurant cooks. About raids conducted by Punjab Food Authority in different areas, Yasin said practice of cooking food in already used cooking oil and serving expired meat was increasingly common despite strict laws against adulteration in Punjab.
Referring to multinational companies, he said the Food Authority had sealed a major restaurant and issued warning to other internationally renowned chains operating in the province. He urged the consumers to visit the restaurants with authentic certification by Punjab Food Authority, in addition to personally visiting the kitchens where the food was prepared.
Yasin told the House that raids and closures of violating establishments had made the government unpopular amongst owners and it was not easy to eliminate the pandemic of adulteration. The minister, however, added that further improvement in the Authority and the Food Department was needed to ensure availability of hygienic food items. Resuming after being adjourned for two days, the Punjab Assembly session began one hour late and ended early as it failed to reach the quorum.
The entire opposition was absent for most of the session and later only three MPAs, including the independent Ehsan Riaz Fatyana and PPP MPA Sardar Shahab-ud-Din Khan were present. Earlier on Tuesday, the Speaker had announced that a discussion on sugarcane prices in Punjab Assembly would be held on Friday. Not able to reach the quorum with only 59 MPAs present in the House, the important discussion was postponed to Monday.
Food Minister Bilal Yasin assured the House however that the Punjab government was committed to implementing the fixed rate of Rs180 per 40kg of sugarcane and would not tolerate exploitation of sugarcane farmers by mills owners. The Sindh government had reversed its rate of Rs155 per 40kg of sugarcane after actions by the Punjab government, Yasin informed the House on Friday.
Earlier during question hour, Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture Rana Arshad faced criticism over the use of abusive language and inappropriate dances in theatre shows across Punjab. Several MPAs, including PML-N MPA Malik Arshad demanded the

government to take strict action against those elements spreading societal evils. The parliamentary secretary responded to their concerns by explaining the functions of script committees set up in each division of the province, which are meant to scrutinise plays before they are allowed to be staged in the province. Every district in Punjab has a district information officer and a vigilance committee which can forward complaints to the Home Department and register an FIR against those guilty of staging obscene dances and using profanities, Rana Arshad said. He told the House that the government had decided to increase the scholarship amount for performing artistes by Rs5 million this year. Taking note of a point of order by PML-N MPA Dr Farzana Nazeer, Rana Arshad said improving Pakistan’s film industry was the government priority.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Secretary for Finance Rana Babar Hussain faced questions over the board of directors of Bank of Punjab. The PML-N MPA informed the House that plans were underway to choose the successor to current BOP President Naeemuddin Khan, who had been serving in this position since September, 2008. The session will resume on Monday at 3pm.