The Lahore Food Authority has taken strict action against sellers of unhygienic meat and substandard products, said Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin on Friday while replying to questions by members of Punjab Assembly during question-hour session.
Yasin said that out of total 22,000 samples obtained by inspection teams during visits, 13,700 were declared pass while 8,300 were rejected.
He said that laws under the Food Authority Act were being made so that sellers of dead or unhygienic meat could be brought to book, ruthlessly. Presently, he said, the punishmend for selling dead or unhygienic meat is one-year rigorous imprisonment or Rs 2 million fine.
Replying to a question, he said that inspection of meat shops was carried out in the provincial capital and others major cities like Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Multan were also under the radar.
The minister urged the house to pass the Food Authority Act 2012 at the earliest so that they could tight noose around the sellers of dead meat. He maintained that owing to effective measures by the government prices of food articles had gone down. The government teams, he said, were conducting raids at various markets and bazaars to keep prices of edibles at minimum level.
Answering questions, provincial Industries Minister Chaudhry Muhammed Shafiq said the government under the leadership of the chief minister was strengthening a network of industries.
“We are determined to make the industrial base more stronger aiming at to reduce unemployment in the province,” he added.
The minister said for establishing new small industrial estate, the government had been establishing close contact with chambers of commerce and industries.
“We are setting up industrial estate wherever it is feasible,” Shafiq added.
