September 15, 2003	Monday	Rajab 17, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, Sept 14: Sale of rotten and unhygienic commodities is common in both the cantonment and Tehsil areas due to the failure of the civic bodies to check the quality of daily- use items.

The situation in the cantonments is even worse than the Tehsil as neither the Rawalpindi cantonment nor the Chaklala cantonment has a food inspector to check the sale of unhealthy commodities. There is no system of collecting samples of cooked and uncooked eatables for laboratory testing.

According to the Cantonment Act 1924, it is the responsibility of the civic body to ensure that no substandard food item is sold.

A cantonment should have a separate section for this purpose which collects samples of food from shops, hotels and all other dealers and even factories that prepare food.

These samples are then tested in food-testing laboratories to check whether or not their quality is fit for eating and to ensure that no adulteration has taken place. Anyone found guilty of adulteration has to be punished, the Act said.

But, here neither of the cantonments has a system to check adulteration and ensure sale of quality products. The responsibility of food-checking has been assigned to the sanitation department which is short of workers.

It is pertinent to note that the cantonment sanitation department is facing shortage of employees as a result of which many areas are without sweepers.

Similarly, adulteration is rampant. There is hardly any commodity available that is pure. Milk is the most adulterated food item. In the same way, ice-creams, drinks and juices are a mixture of substandard items which are hazardous to health.

Rotten vegetables are sold openly. The quality of mutton and beef is also not up to the standard.

When contacted, an RCB official confirmed that no separate section in the cantonment board existed for food-testing. He said about two years ago, there used to be food inspectors who would check sale of low-quality products and adulteration. But, now this system has been abolished.

He admitted that rotten and low-quality commodities were sold openly in the market.

He said this trend could not be reversed unless a system was developed in which well-trained food inspectors were appointed and supervised by the cantonment magistrate.