Checking adulteration: Balochistan to set up consumer courts

Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch announces plans for setting up consumer courts in the province.

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch on Saturday announced plans for setting up consumer courts in the province. “There is no check over the products in the markets of Quetta where consumers’ protests usually go unnoticed,” said the provincial chief minister at a consumer rights seminar organised by Pameer Consumer Society, a non-governmental organisation. “In developed countries, adulteration is a serious crime,” said Dr Malik. “And those responsible have to face imprisonment.” Drawing attention to the unethical practices in Quetta’s Kandahari Bazaar and Liquat Market, Dr Malik said shopkeepers tend to be rude and often misbehave with customers if they complain against adulteration. He admitted that the governments could not check adulteration in foodstuff and manage price controls. However, he said, the government is doing its best to protect the rights of consumers.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2014.