TIMERGARA: Complaining about the food department’s ‘poor’ performance, the Lower Dir district council on Monday demanded of the local administration to ban the sale of substandard fried crackers and ensure the sale of edible items of good quality in the district.

The demand was made during a session chaired by naib nazim Abdul Rashid, where district nazim Mohammad Rasool Khan and officials of the relevant government departments were also in attendance.

The councillors said unhygienic and substandard fried crackers, locally known as pappar, were imported and sold in the district without let or hindrance and therefore, the people’s health, especially children’s, was at risk.

They said the administration should ban the sale of such crackers without delay besides ensuring the provision of quality food items to the people.

Councillors demand ban on fried crackers

Councillors Alam Zeb, Saiful Islam, Hakeem Khan, Naeem Jan, Taza Khan, Imran Khan and Gul Mohammad expressed displeasure at what they called poor performance of the food, excise and taxation departments and Utility Store Corporation and insisted there was no check on the sale of substandard food items, including ghee, cooking oil, meat, milk, fruit and vegetable.

PPP councillor Alam Zeb said the existence of the district food godown in the city market was creating traffic mess and therefore, it should be relocated before the building was converted into a public park, community hall or commercial plaza.

He alleged that substandard wheat was supplied to flourmills and that there were also reports of the mills grinding decayed bread.

Councillor Gul Mohammad complained the sale of adulterated milk continued in the district despite the Supreme Court’s orders against it.

Other councillors complained that the forest department ignored them during the distribution of saplings to the people.

Nazim Rasool Khan told the house that he had directed the administration to seal factories producing low-quality fried crackers besides asking the food department to ensure the sale of goods of good quality only in the district.

He said the forest department would take the councillors into confidence over the distribution of saplings.

The nazim said a committee on the future of non-customs paid vehicles had finalised its recommendations, which would be acted upon soon.

JI COUNCILLOR JOIN PML-N: Jamaat-i-Islami activist Syed Inayatur Rehman on Monday resigned as tehsil councillor from Shahikhel Talash and announced the joining of the PML-N.

The announcement was made during a PML-N meeting held in Talash area here with party district president Malik Behram Shehzada in the chair.

Mr. Rehman said he was not satisfied with the JI’s performance in the area and therefore, he had decided to join the PML-N to serve the people from the PML-N’s platform.

The participants decided a public meeting would soon be held in Talash area, where adviser to the prime minister Engineer Ameer Muqam would be the chief guest.

They said many PPP, ANP and JI workers would announce the joining of the PML-N in the public meeting.

Published in Dawn January 24th, 2017