Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui has taken strong exception to the reported sale of adulterated milk in the city and has ordered for necessary measures for its prevention.
Chairing an emergency meeting in his office on Monday to address the issue on war-footing basis, he said samples would be randomly selected from different milk shops as well as those sold in tetra-packs in the city. All these samples would be tested at PCSIR laboratories while the PSQCA mobile laboratory would be equipped with needed facility for on-spot test of milk samples, said the commissioner.
The commissioner said reports that starch oil, washing powder, urea, hair removing cream and other hazardous things were being mixed into the milk to enhance its consistency as well as shelf lives can not be acceptable to any administration.
He said the fact that human consumption of the impure milk can cause cancers and other fatal health conditions and perpetrators of the crime can not be allowed to go scot-free. Siddiqui said the meeting chaired by him was actually also an opportunity to promote the concept of good business ethics for the dairy farmers and other stakeholder engaged in milk business.
Appreciative of the stance adopted by the Sindh and Karachi Dairy Farmers Association that milk is not contaminated at their end and that adulteration takes place while the product reaches the market, the commissioner said adequate measures would be taken for thorough screening and lab testing at every level. He said concerned criminals would not only be identified with the support of all honest and genuine stakeholders but strict action would also be taken against the culprits trying to play havoc with precious human lives.
Siddiqui said practice to inject buffaloes with hazardous hormones to increase the quantity of milk was also a crime that would be strictly dealt with.
“This is not permissible as it does contaminate the milk causing serious risks for the consumers, mainly comprising children,” he said. He also asked the medical director of KMC to present a detailed report about the consumption of adulterated milk by the citizens and its implications on their health by July nine.
On the occasion, representative of a private company supplying tetra milk packs told the meeting that his company had been regularly getting its products tested by well authenticated laboratories of the country.
The meeting was also attended by Additional Commissioner (Two) Rubina Asif, Secretary of Consumers Committee, Syed Zahid Hussain, President, Dairy Association of Karachi, Sikander Nagori, Director, PSCIR – Karachi, Director, Medical Services, KMC, Dr Mohammad Ali Abbasi, Director, Sindh Livestock and Fisheries besides other relevant stake-holders.