Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority to be set up by October

CM Hamza warns against delay in procuring equipment

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz Sharif has given a deadline of October to establish the Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority to protect the people of the province from substandard, contaminated and adulterated products.

The project had been stalled during the past three-and-a-half years. While presiding over a meeting, the chief minister warned that delays in the procurement of equipment for the authority would not be tolerated. A steering committee had been formed for the recruitment process, he noted.

He called for operationalising the Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority by October to put an end to the menace of adulterated food and medicines in the province.

The chief minister alleged that the previous government had played politics over the plight of those at risk from impure food and medicines and intentionally put the project of national importance on hold without any reason.

He maintained that those who had delayed the project for three-and-a-half years were accountable to the nation. The chief minister was informed during a briefing that the postponement of the project had increased its cost by Rs3 billion.

The CM remarked that the incompetent previous government had wasted national resources. He asserted that negligence would not be tolerated now.

He directed the officials concerned to apprise him of the progress on the project every fortnight and said he would also visit the spots to review the pace of work.

The meeting was attended by the additional chief secretary, chairman of the Planning and Development Board, principal secretary to the chief minister, secretary for communications and works, chief executive officer of the Infrastructure Development Authority Punjab and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2022.