Our Correspondents
Hyderabad/Peshawar
On a bid to accelerate crackdown against smugglers and sellers of smuggled goods, the Customs Collectorate has seized Indian toiletries, cosmetics, gutka and betel nuts worth Rs57 million during the last seven days. According to press release issued here by Hyderabad Customs authorities on Tuesday have taken action taken in pursuance of the federal government’s directives to ensure that Indian goods, which were banned for import into Pakistan, could not find their way into local market through smuggling.
The six sub divisional outfits of Hyderabad Customs have seized Indian products, in finished or raw form, worth 110 million rupees from July to December 15, 2020, statement said and added that the quantity seized was three times more than the value of the goods seized last year. The customs authorities have deployed special contingents at the inter provincial borders as well as the city entry points to ensure that no smuggled good find its way into the province, it added.
Meanwhile, it is reported from Peshawar that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFS&HFA) Tuesday seized around 12,000 bottles of banned and hazardous energy drinks during a raid on a warehouse in Hashtnagri area here. The operation was carried out on the special directions of KPFS&HFA Director General Sohail Khan to curb the selling of expired and harmful energy drinks in the province.
The operation was led by KPFS&HFA Deputy Director Operations Talat Fahad, in which the warehouse was sealed and heavy fine was imposed on the owners. According to Talat Fahad, there was a ban on the sale and purchase of energy drinks in the province. ‘After the extension of KPFS&HFA operations to 15 more districts, the quality of food items would now be further improved,’ Director Operations Dr Azmat Ullah Wazir said and added that it would help us to achieve our goal of ‘Safe Food, Healthy People’.
Dr Azmat Ullah Wazir said the authority was committed to curb food adulteration in the province, for which the food safety teams were actively working across the province.
He said the food safety teams also conducted operation in town three area of Peshawar, where a Kabab house was sealed for extremely unhygienic condition, while a number of other shops were fine for keeping banned items such as China salt and other expired items. He said the food safety teams also seized around 20 KG of china salt in Upper Dir area, while a snack factory and bakery was sealed in Mardan.
