80pc milk supplied to City poisonous, LHC told

[LRE]

Thursday, March 19, 2009
By Our Correspondent

LAHORE

JUSTICE Mian Saqib Nisar of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday sought reply from the Punjab ministries of health and livestock, the city district government and other respondents in a petition filed against the supply of adulterated milk to the City.

The petition was filed by Dr Muhammad Yaqoob Bhatti, central executive member of the Watan Party Pakistan, through his counsel Barrister Zafarullah Khan.

The counsel submitted that a very alarming situation was reported by the city district government’s food department and also published in the national press that 80 per cent milk supplied to consumers was poisonous.

He said according to data, 19,718 samples of milk collected by the food department in the last five years almost 17,529 samples were found adulterated, which meant that almost 80 per cent of the milk consumed by Lahorites was adulterated or contaminated.

The counsel relied upon a report published in The News International on February 4, 2009, which stated that dairy farms, milk supplying companies and other sources were adding various chemical and unhygienic materials to milk, which varies from one supplier to another. He said the percentage of elements used for adulteration were: urea or melamine (30 per cent), sub-standard cooking oil (70 per cent), powdered Singharas (40 per cent), unhygienic water (50 per cent), formalin, a chemical used by doctors to preserve human body (35 per cent), penicillin for enhancing thickness and fragrance of milk (47 per cent), hair removing powder (29 per cent), zoonotic pathogens (27 per cent), and others, including soda bicarbonate, to improve the taste, urea to lend it uniformity and melamine added as protein booster.

Barrister Zafarullah pointed out that adulterated milk as being sold for the last many years in country and nobody seemed to have taken any effective step to ensure the supply of clean milk and the respondents seemed to have been unmoved by the consequences. For example, melamine, added in milk, caused kidney stones or kidney failure, especially among infants, the counsel said, adding that a single dose of pure melamine was unlikely to kill but ingesting even modest amounts could cause bladder or kidney damage, leading to renal failure and even cancer. The counsel prayed to the court that the supply of adulterated milk be stopped forthwith for human consumption and all such supplies and corporation be banned immediately. He further pleaded that arrangements should be made to increase growth of livestock and even no meat days might be increased and unnecessary sacrifices be discouraged. The judge has directed the respondents to file their replies within 15 days.

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