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Thursday March 28, 2024

‘Milk mafia’ playing with the future of nation

By Khalid Iqbal
April 30, 2017

Rawalpindi

Newly established Punjab Food Authority (PFA) is the only ray of hope for public to get pure milk. However it has ostensibly failed to prove its mettle. They have failed to liquidate the 'milk mafia' which is playing with the health of all including the small children for whom milk is a complete diet. The consumers of the milk manufactured by the mafia fall easy prey to dangerous diseases like typhoid, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, brucellosis, allergies and even cancer.

While talking with ‘The News’, PFA Deputy Director (Rawalpindi Circle) Muhammad Umair conceded that milk being sold in the market was mostly adulterated and as such dangerous for human health, particularly for children. "We have taken a seriously view of that and I have formed special teams and they are continuously raiding dairy farms at Chakri, Adiala, Soan, Rawat, Kallar, Chak Beli Khan and other areas," he claimed.

He said that most of the milk supply is coming from Sargodha, Bhalwal and Mandi Bahauddin. This milk is mostly adulterated. He said that some days back they seized over 2,000 litres of adulterated milk from various localities of Rawalpindi.

"We have established pickets at several entrances of the city and a team of food safety officers are examining the quality and standard of milk being brought to city on a large number of vehicles from other areas," he said.

According to a survey conducted by 'The News' a dangerous chemical ‘formalin’ is commonly used in milk. Other chemicals like urea, caustic soda, refined oil, especially rancid oil and cheap cooking oil, and detergents are also mixed in milk to increase its shelf life as well as to remove traces of adulteration and mixing of hazardous chemicals.

It was also learnt that there are several dairy farms at Girja Road, Tarnol, Soan, Rawat, Kalar Road, Adiala Road, Chakri, Thalian, Gorakhpur, Chak Beli Khan where milkmen mix such dangerous chemicals in milk.

Some senior veterinary officers of the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Department including Dr. Tasneem Ahmed have confirmed that powerful mafia is playing with the lives of people. They also said that milkmen are selling milk of sick animals which was strictly banned for consumption.

It is also worth mentioning that the mafia time and again increases prices of its own without any notification of city district government. The latest increase is Rs10 per litre. Milk shops offer different qualities of milk. Now fine (or pure) milk sells at Rs110 instead of Rs100; normal at Rs90 against Rs80 and poor milk at Rs80 against Rs70 per litre.

Child Specialist Dr Muhammad Waqas at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, has warned parents to use pure milk for their children otherwise they are likely to fall prey to dangerous diseases. He advised mothers to breast feed their infants for their better health and future.