ISLAMABAD: Though currently a number of companies carry out bottled water packaging in residential areas and even small shops, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has decided that from July 1 the packaging can only be done at commercial or industrial plots not less than one kanal.

This was stated by PSQCA Director Yaseen Akhtar at a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Science and Technology chaired by MNA Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema on Monday.

The committee was discussing The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (Amendment) Bill 2017 moved by MNA Mohammad Muzamil Qureshi. The bill says companies should highlight ingredients of their products and ensure quality. However, the discussion was diverted towards quality of bottled water.

Mr Akhtar claimed that the department was taking steps to ensure quality of different products.

“We have made a policy on drinking water. In the past, companies used to operate on the rear sides of houses and small shops. However, it has been decided that from July 1 no bottle company will be allowed to operate in residential areas,” he said.

“It has been principally decided that now bottled companies can only operate at commercial and industrial plots having a space not less than one kanal. This will help checking and visiting their offices. Companies will be bound to appoint staff having MSc in microbiology. Bottled water is becoming an industry and all companies will have to shift their factories to commercial areas by June 30,” he said.

MNA Aliya Kamran said it was a fact that a number of companies were doing business in the name of fountain water and did not care about the quality. Some clubs have also make arrangements to fill empty bottles on their own and even have machines to pack/seal the bottles.

“Moreover, I have observed that companies use so small font to mention the ingredients and warnings that it becomes difficult to read it. I suggest that larger font size should be used and companies should also write in Urdu along with English so that the consumers would become aware of the products,” she said.

Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology Yasmin Masood said the ministry was soon going to table a bill and the recommendations of Mr Qureshi would be incorporated in it. As a result, the committee decided to reject the bill.

Regularisation of contractual employees

The committee adopted the report of a subcommittee of the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and directed it to regularise 158 contractual employees.

Chairman of the subcommittee Ali Mohammad Khan said after meetings the committee had reached the conclusion that the employees had every right to be regularised.

“In the past, 100 employees of PCRWR were regularised by the then chairman as it was the discretion of the chairman to regularise the employees without getting any dictation from the ministry. However, the current chairman, Dr Mohammad Ashraf, was not appointed on merit so he looks to the ministry for every decision. Had the chairman been appointed on merit, the contractual employees would have been regularised,” he said.

The committee also said Rs2.2 billion had been given to the ministry under the Public Sector Development Project but Rs1.5 billion lapsed.

The committee chairman directed to investigate who was responsible for the lapse of funds.

MNA Usman Khan Tarakai said other ministries also had the same issue as because of a lack of capability to utilise the funds most of the amount lapsed.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2018