Substandard milk: Mayor, commissioner on notice

IHC seeks replies over the sale of adulterated, contaminated milk

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Friday has sought replies from Islamabad’s mayor, chief commissioner and others after a resident of the capital had approached the court claiming that adulterated milk was being sold openly in the city.

Akhtar Mehmood, through his counsel Yasir Mehmood Chaudhry, had filed a petition seeking the court’s intervention against the sale of adulterated and contaminated milk in the capital.

He listed the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) through Mayor Shiekh Anser Aziz, Chief Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, District Health Officer and Deputy Director Food of the Islamabad Capital Territory respondents in the case.

Chaudhry said that due to the lax attitude of city administration, milk supplied to the capital was being adulterated and contaminated using harmful chemicals.

“The respondents are not performing their due role in preventing this horrible menace,” Chaudhry stated.

Explaining the lack of action by the IMC, the petitioner said that he had sent an application on September 15, 2016, to the respondents urging them to take action against the adulterators. However, no action was taken on his application, forcing him to approach the court.

He urged the court to direct the respondents to take immediate action to prevent the sale, marketing and consumption of adulterated milk and check quality of milk on daily basis in markets of Islamabad.

Hearing the petition on Friday, Justice Athar Minallah of the IHC issued notices to the respondents and directed them to submit a reply in the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2016.