ISLAMABAD, Nov 24 (APP): Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Friday informed the Senate that Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) declared 20 brands of bottled water unsafe due to certain issues during its quarterly report for a period of April-June 2023.
Replying to a question during Question Hour, the minister said out of the total declared unsafe, only two were registered with PSQCA while others were not registered. The action was taken against the registered brands and their production was stopped, he added.
He said the remaining brands were fake and action was also taken against all such groups which were producing substandard and unsafe things.
However, he said as per PSQCA law, only a Rs 50,000 fine and one-year jail punishment could be awarded to such culprits through courts. Rs 50,000 fine and one-year imprisonment was very insufficient as such people were putting the lives of common people in danger, he said.
He said it needed effective legislation to enhance fines and punishment for such culprits.
The minister said PSQCA was mandated to formulate Standards and monitor the quality of products falling under the Compulsory Certification Mark Scheme.
In response to Senator Mushtaq Ahmed query, he said that it was regrettable to dub a government institution a hub of corruption without any evidence. If the Senator has any proof of corruption in the institution, the government would certainly investigate it, he said.