Surprise inspections: ICT officials fine food outlets, seal hotel

Teams also remove encroachments from NHA land.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Administration in its ongoing drive against adulterated food items, conducted surprise inspection of food outlets in different markets and imposed fines amounting to Rs110,000 on owners for unhygienic conditions at their premises.

According to details, Assistant Commissioner (Secretariat) Waqas Rashid conducted surprise inspection of food outlets in Sector F-7 and fined owners. The food outlets that were fined include Roasters Cafe (Rs30,000), Subway (Rs20,000), Gourmet Bakers (Rs20,000), RBS bakers (Rs25,000), Ghousia Restaurant (Rs5,000) and Sadiq Sweets (Rs10,000).

Rashid said cleanliness conditions at the outlets’ kitchens were found unsatisfactory and unhygienic while workers had not been vaccinated against viral diseases. Some business owners were also paying less wage to their workers in contravention of the minimum wages act. He directed business owners to improve cleanliness conditions and ensure food safety standards failing which strict action would be taken against them.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner (Saddar) Rabi Aurangzeb, during surprise inspections of hotels and restaurants in Golra Sharif, sealed a hotel for unhygienic conditions and fined two food outlets for poor hygienic conditions. The assistant commissioner also conducted checking of security arrangements at the cattle market in Tarnol and directed a beef up of security. Similarly, Assistant Commissioner (Rural) Amna Rafique, along with a team of police and National Highway Authority (NHA), conducted anti-encroachment operation in Mouza Humak, Ghora and Kutana area and removed encroachments from NHA land on both sides of GT Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2015.