Protest: No FIRs on PFA’s requests, milkmen assured

PFA Operations Director said that the authority would follow the law and cases would be registered if needed

LAHORE:

“We are not scared of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA). Milkmen will resist any attempts to restrict supply in the City,” said protesters at a demonstration against the PFA’s drive against adulterated milk.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Malik Allah Ditta, one of the protesters, said the authority was ruining their livelihoods.

He said the government had already forced milkmen out of the city. “Now they are trying to kill our business,” he said.

He said it was not viable for milkmen to sell milk at Rs65 per litre. “We get fresh milk from farms at this price. We cannot sell it it at the same price in cities,” he said.

Qasim Abdullah said they were being forced to sell milk at Rs 65 per litre. “We don’t mind the price if we are provided milk at Rs60 per litre,” he said. He said the government should revise milk prices. PFA teams continued checking of vehicles despite the protest.

Later, a delegation of the protesters met District Coordination Officer Muhammad Usman and CCPO Amin Wains.

Milk Sellers and Suppliers Association president Muhammad Naseer said the government had agreed to review their demands and had assured them that no FIRs would be registered against them.

Naseer said the district administration had promised to work out milk and yogurt prices afresh. He said new prices would be announced in two days.  He said the government had promised to conduct laboratory tests to check milk quality.

A spokesman for the DCO’s office said district administration had assured milkmen that FIRs against milkmen on PFA’s request would not be registered. He said the PFA would collect milk samples and conduct proper laboratory tests to ensure they met quality standards.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PFA Operations Director Aysha Mumtaz said that the authority would follow the law and cases would be registered if needed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2015.