Food adulteration: IHC issues notices to Islamabad district administration

ISLAMABAD: Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court here on Tuesday issued notices to the Islamabad district administration along with other respondents after a petitioner sought the court’s intervention about the rampant and alarming situation of adulteration in food items and medicines in the federal capital.

Petitioner in person Muhammad Kowkab Iqbal advocate has prayed to the court to direct the government to set up a Food and Drug authority like in the USA to prevent this menace. The petitioner has nominated secretary federal ministry of health, secretary interior, secretary ministry of food and drug regulations, secretary law and secretary cabinet division, chief commissioner and deputy commissioner Islamabad as respondents.

The petitioner adopted that there is rampant adulteration in this country without any check from salt to peppers, milk, meat and medicines. That pure food act of 1964 is like a dead statute and not implemented while the food inspectors indulging in unchecked corruption. That the drug act and its rules openly are violated and drug inspectors not doing their duty.

The petitioner referred to news reports according to which 20 brands of mineral water were contaminated. He pointed out that Chinese set up pig farms in Tarbela from where pig’s meat was transported to Islamabad and then mixed with beef. Ordinary people were fed the meat of dogs and donkeys.

The situation is alarming when adulteration is done with medicines. Expired medicines are sold openly in the market. The Punjab chief minister has been taking measures against adulteration but the federal capital is neglected. The petitioner has prayed to the court to direct the government to set up the Food and Drug authority to keep a check over all this menace. The IHC bench issuing notices directed the respondents to submit replies.