Thousands of litres of contaminated milk dumped

ICTA launches crackdown on adulterated dairy; eateries to be examined for hygiene

ISLAMABAD: In what could have ended up in a massive health crisis in the capital, the district authorities on Friday dumped hundreds of gallons of tainted ‘milk’ which they had intercepted.

The dump was part of a drive against adulterated and toxic milk by the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) following complaints of adulteration across the city. The ICTA has also announced to renew their efforts to ensure hygiene at all eateries and bakeries in the capital.

To kick off the drive, Assistant Commissioner (Potohar) Malik Waseem intercepted four tankers carrying milk. The tankers were heading for the federal capital from Punjab. A lactometer test found that the milk in all the four tankers was contaminated.

The contents of the tankers, around 12,000 litres of milk, were then dumped on the spot.

“Not only had the milk been watered down, it also contained various chemicals. All four tankers were checked and failed the standard test, and the milk was drained out on the spot,” said Waseem.

He added that the milk was being transported from Pakpattan and Sargodha.

Sargodha and other parts of Punjab supply thousands of litres of milk to the federal capital every day. This milk is then shipped to thousands of homes every morning through hundreds of milkmen and dairies in the city.

The team also confiscated 1.2 tonnes of unhygienic khoya (condensed milk) and sent a sample to the laboratory at the National Institute of Health for further examination.

Meanwhile, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Captain (retired) Mushtaq Ahmed chaired a meeting in the capital where he directed all assistant commissioners, magistrates and food inspectors to launch a crackdown against the sale of contaminated milk. He further directed that kitchens of all eateries would be inspected for hygiene.

The meeting also decided to take action against quack doctors.

As a public health and safety campaign, the administration has also directed all public transporters using compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders to obtain vehicle fitness certificates from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) apart from certificates from the Islamabad Transport Authority by December 27.

Those failing to do so will face action.

A number of fatal incidents have taken place after faulty or old CNG cylinder installed in vans exploded.

ICTA has once again advised the public to use only the computerised number plates issued by the excise department. Action will be taken against those using non-standard vehicle number plates.

The deputy commissioner has also ordered strict action against revenue officials who do not complete duty hours or are involved in illegal activities.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2017.