Expired Indian sugar declared unfit for transit

KARACHI: The environmental protection agency of Sindh has advised Pakistan Customs not to allow further transportation to Afghanistan of expired Indian sugar after fulfilling all necessary legal requirements as the commodity was found unfit for human consumption.A technical team of Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) issued the advisory after visiting the office of Pakistan Customs and inspection of Indian sugar, which arrived at the Karachi Port in 265 containers for further transportation to Afghanistan.

Officials in the SEPA said on the directives from Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Department, Government of Sindh, a technical team of environmental watchdog led-by its by its Director Technical Ashique Langah visited the office of Pakistan Customs in Karachi on Saturday and discussed the matter of reported contamination of Indian sugar, which was to be transited to Afghanistan.

The SEPA team was informed that 265 containers of sugar which were imported from India for its transportation to Afghanistan under transit trade were declared unfit for human consumption because their expiry date has already been passed as per laboratory reports of both PCSIR and HEJ Research Institute.

Both the laboratories tested the samples of referred sugar with regard to its four key parameters including polarization, moisture, invert sugar and color. All the subject parameters were found deviating from their globally accepted standards.

The SEPA team was also of the view that an expired item more particularly of edible nature should not be further transported as it badly smells causing trouble to its surrounding. Having gone through the details of the subject case of expired Indian sugar, the SEPA director also advised Customs not to allow its further transportation to Afghanistan after fulfilling all necessary legal requirements.