PESHAWAR: The members of both treasury and opposition benches in Peshawar District Council criticised the livestock department for its failure to stop milk adulteration.

The councillors demanded of the government to take effective steps to stop milk adulteration, which was harmful to human health. They said that officials of the directorate of livestock should conduct raids on the milk shops early in the morning to avert selling of adulterated milk. The session of district council was held with district naib nazim Qasim Ali Shah in the chair.

Speaking on point of order, leader of opposition Advocate Syed Zahir said that city district government failed to control hike in prices of edible items and joblessness in the district.

“The officials of the directorate of livestock are unaware of increase in prices of chickens,” he said. He added that Peshawarites couldn’t purchase chicken at Rs190 per kilogramme.

Alamzeb Yousafzai, a councillor of ANP, said that the district committees formed to oversee the performance of different departments were powerless. He said that livestock department should take steps to stop the spread of Congo virus and use of chemicals in the packed milk. Safdar Baghi said that despite establishing a milk testing laboratory at a cost of Rs5 million, the livestock department failed to ensure availability of quality milk in the market.

The session was adjourned till Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2017