KARACHI, Dec 21: The Senate’s Standing Committee on Science and Technology has termed safeguarding consumers’ rights need of the hour and called for urgent legislation in this regard.

The committee members visited the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) here on Wednesday and observed that manufacturing and sale of substandard products directly affected the consumers. Serious efforts against this malpractice were immediately required, they added.

The committee was given a briefing by PSQCA Director General Dr Abdul Ghaffar Soomro. He said that the Authority would set up consumer liaison offices in all major cities of the country soon.

He said that a large number of consumers would be given representation in the new bodies which would greatly help in forcing manufacturers to improve standard of their products. He said that these bodies would also play an important role in eliminating menace of adulteration in the items of daily use.

He said that in Pakistan, there was a yawning gap between food laws and standards which should be bridged at the earliest to save innocent consumers from being fleeced. He said that voluntary certification of all products and mandatory certification of all household products was also a must to achieve this objective.

Federal Secretary for Science and Technology Dr Tariqur Rehman told the committee that the country was facing an acute shortage of accredited laboratories. Increasing the number of such labs and improving standard of all general labs was a dire national need, he added.

He also stressed on streamlining all laboratories functioning in the country on scientific lines and called for raising the number of scientists and researchers in the PSQCA.

The Standing Committee, led by Ms Razina Alam Khan, with Dr Begum Nighat Agha, Ms Tanveer Khalid, Ms Nighat Mirza, Dr Mohammad Syed, Sajjid Mir and Prof Mohammad Ibrahim being its other members, called for steps for the registration of importers and exporters so that production of goods in accordance with the international standards set in line with the requirements of the WTO could be ensured.

It further suggested that advertising campaign aimed at keeping consumers aware of the standard of products be intensified. Consumers should also be provided with necessary information about all products in order to help them get the right product.

The committee recommended that all products coming in the orbit of the PSQCA should have the mark of this Authority printed on them and strict action be taken against violators of this rule. — PPI