Crackdown: Nine shops sealed for selling acid without licence

MULTAN: The district administration launched a crackdown on Monday against shops and vendors who do not have licences to sell acid. DCO Nadir Chattha said on Tuesday that this was necessary to prevent acid attacks.

He said nine shops found to be selling acid without a licence were sealed on Monday and Tuesday.

Chattha said the district government had invoked Section 144 to act against sale of acid without a licence. The Department of Civil Defence had sealed six shops on Monday and seized the material sold at the shops. Three other shops were sealed on Tuesday.

A team led by Civil Defence District Officer Rana Tariq had initiated a crackdown on shops at BCG Chowk, Vehari Chowk, Kumharanwala Chowk and Chungi 9. He said they had seized dozens of barrels of acid from the shops they had sealed.

Chattha said old licences of shopkeepers selling acid had been cancelled. “The district administration will issue new computerised licences after an evaluation of laws in this regard.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2016.