QMC launches crackdown on restaurants

Administrator says 18 restaurants raided in Quetta in last 24 hours

QUETTA: Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) Administrator Ghulam Farooq Langove said his department has launched a citywide crackdown against hotels and restaurants selling substandard food in the wake of the tragic Karachi incident in which five siblings died after consuming toxic food.

“In the last 24 hours, the administration has raided 18 restaurants in the provincial capital and imposed cumulative fines of Rs300,000, while the samples will be sent to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad for testing,” said Langove while addressing a press conference on Saturday.

According to the QMC administrator, a total of 175 hotels and restaurants were registered in Quetta, while numerous others were conducting business without registration. “After the Karachi incident, we have initiated action against restaurants that don’t meet the quality criteria,” he said.

To a query about a food testing facility, Langove acknowledged that the city lacked a lab and equipment required to examine the quality and hygiene levels.



“The previous administrations didn’t pay enough attention to public health and failed to take action against eateries selling substandard items, but we won’t spare those who put human lives in jeopardy,” he said.