Food Authority raids KTH canteen again

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Authority again raided the canteen of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) on Friday and sealed the eateries.

It was the first time that the KP Food Authority sealed an eatery on charges of not following standards operating procedures.

Attaullah Khan, a spokesman for the KP Food Authority, said their inspectors had inspected the canteen and juice shop in Khyber Teaching Hospital on Thursday and sealed it.

However, he said soon after their teams left the hospital, owner of the canteen reopened the eatery and juice shop. He said the Food Authority sealed the canteens of the hospital again.

The spokesman said that Deputy Director Operation of the Food Authority Shahana Khalil took the action against the canteen owners and raided the venue early Friday. He said after sealing the canteen, the team seized

the cooked food and distributed it among the patients and attendants.

The spokesman added that reopening the sealed premises was a serious violation of law and the violators would be treated with an iron hand.

An official of Khyber Teaching Hospital requested Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (Retired) Dost Mohammad Khan to take note of the incident, saying the canteen owner had been expelled earlier on serious charges but some corrupt elements in the hospital administration again gave him a prime space in the hospital to set up and run the canteen.

“I wish the chief minister could take notice and order a high level inquiry and take stern action against the corrupt elements in the hospital administration, though owner of the canteen is very influential,” the Khyber Teaching Hospital official said on condition of anonymity.