KARACHI, Oct 22: Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) have urged the people to come forward with genuine complaints against substandard and spurious consumer goods in order to ensure legal action against the culprits.

Speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club here on Tuesday, Khaqan Hasan, Director General of the PSQCA, said that the “PSQCA is not meant to harm the local industry but to help it attain international quality standards and be protected against any emerging condition. Many of the established national companies have significantly been contributing to the national exchequer through taxes and have to be protected against spurious or low quality products.”

Multinational beverage companies operating in the country, he added, also have to follow the law of the country where their plants existed and products marketed.

He, however, made it clear that no meaningful action could be taken against the violators of the approved standards without public support.

The PSQCA has already released a list of 46 consumer items for which the manufactures are legally bound to acquire licence from the Authority, which is issued only after verification of the set quality standards, prior to marketing the items, he said.

The manufacturers, he added, have to ensure that the PSQCA-approved sticker was legible on the packing.

To a question, Mr Hasan said that out of 60 manufacturers of bottled water, 30 had applied for a licence once they were informed of the legal condition. Only seven of the applicants were issued the licence as the rest failed to come up to the strict standard requirements, he revealed.

He pointed out that the PSQCA followed the practice of making public the list of manufacturers along with their approved brands through the leading newspapers of the country besides details of other manufacturing companies which did not acquire the licence.

Mr Hasan clarified that the PSQCA could not take legal action against the manufacturers of unapproved items. The legal and other departments, such as food department, and above all the consumers, should play their role in this regard, he said.

The Authority, he stated, is authorized to provide details of standards and monitor the manufacturing practices of identified industries e.g. biscuit, carbonated beverages, ghee and cooking oil, edible oil, palm oil, corn oil, etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Hamid Maker, Chairman of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), appealed to the people to help the organization ensure legal action against the manufacturers of substandard and poor quality consumer goods. He advised the buyers to approach the CPC along with the samples and cash memo if they found out that the item they had purchased was fake, imitation, spurious or substandard.

He said that by actively participating in the CPC campaign, the consumers would contribute greatly in developing a culture of consumers’ rights.—APP