LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has forwarded 500 unhygienic/adulterated food related cases since August 2015 to various civil courts in the provincial capital for action.

It expects punishment of imprisonment for a period from six months to three years to the accused in a majority of cases.

“Of the total 500, about 200 cases are currently at the stage of evidence/statement recording in various civil courts of the district headquarters, Cantt and Model Town. In the rest of 300 cases, notices have been issued to the accused to appearing before the courts and defend the cases against them under the PFA Act-2015,” said Komal, a food safety officer of the PFA, while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

To a question, she said a majority of the cases were related to unhygienic food, adulterated milk and water, etc.

“Decisions in many cases are expected in the coming months and many accused will be penalised by the courts,” she expressed hope.

Meanwhile, the PFA teams at various entry/exit points of the city disposed of 423 litres of adulterated milk being transported in 87 vehicles.

The teams, according to a spokesperson, also seized 3,787 litre milk for testing. Other PFA teams sealed many milk shops for selling adulterated milk in the city, including Subhan Milk Shop, Alsarim Milk Shop, Sharaft Milk Shop, Al-Janat Milk Centre, Hashmi Milk Shop, Subhan Milk Shop, Siddiq Milk Shop, Abdul Ghafoor Milk Shop, Bullheh Shah Milk Shop, Hajveri Milk Shop and Haji Milk Shop in the areas of Shami Park, Shahdara, Model Colony, Aziz Bhatti Town and other localities.

BEAUTIFICATION: The City District Government of Lahore has started beautifying the city by getting a number of walls painted.

The objective of the initiative is to promote peace, harmony, brotherhood and culture and eliminate the practice of wall chalking.

According to a spokesman, the students of National College of Arts, Punjab University and other volunteers are participating in the drive.

They are currently painting various walls in the Liberty and Gulberg’s Main Boulevard areas.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2016