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FAISALABAD, May 1: A man was killed while three women members of his family sustained serious burn injuries when explosive material in their home exploded in Chak 229-RB on Makuana-Khurrianwala Road, about 20 kilometres from here, on Thursday.
Sattar had been manufacturing fireworks for the last many years. His family members also helped him prepare fireworks.
They were busy in their work when explosive material lying in the house exploded as a result of which the roofs of two rooms blew up. The explosion also severely damaged houses adjacent to Sattar’s. Sattar, 40, died on the spot while his wife Parveen Akhtar, 35, sister Dolan, 38, and niece Shahzadi, 16, sustained serious burns.
The injured were admitted to hospital in serious condition.
WTO THREAT: Scientists are apprehending unimaginable loss if the government failed to devise policies to face challenges of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements.
This was told to newsmen by Department of Food Technology, University of Agriculture, chairman Dr Faqir Muhammad Anjum here on Thursday.
He claimed that after the implementation of WTO agreements, Pakistan would not be in a position to export food product because there was not a single food testing laboratory in the country for the issuance of certificates about the standard and quality of its food products and other exportable items.
Dr Anjum said bureaucracy was creating problems for the policy makers and researchers. He quoted the example of a University of Agriculture plan to set up a laboratory at a cost of Rs34 million but the finance department raised unjustified objections.
He said President Gen Musharraf had ordered to set up two wheat quality testing laboratories each in Faisalabad and Karachi. But, the authorities concerned ignored Faisalabad and set up laboratories in Karachi and Islamabad despite the fact that the capital has no wheat producing area, he added.
He claimed that around 50 per cent of vegetable and fruit perished during supply from farm to market for lack of transport facilities, packing and marketing. Though there was every kind of technology available in the country, ill-conceived policies of the extension wing of the departments concerned caused loss to farmers.
He stressed the need to launch campaigns to apprise the departments concerned of their flawed policies and how to rectify them.
He criticized the government proposal to recruit MBBS doctors as food inspectors replacing matriculate staff.
Dr Anjum suggested setting up of an autonomous food controlling and testing authority to check the quality of food products being supplied in the local and foreign markets. He also suggested food testing laboratories at district level equipped with modern gadgets and trained staff like food technologists.
