ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has directed three cement manufactures not to use Kraft paper sacks for cement packaging. PSQCA has issued these directives to M/s Bestway Cement Limited, Haripur, M/s Dewan Hattar Cement Limited, Hattar and M/s Mustehkam Cement Limited, Hattar.
According to PSQCA, in exercise of powers conferred by section 14 of the Act, Federal Government has notified 166 items as mandatory items under the Compulsory Certification Mark Scheme of PSQCA; the manufacturing, storage and sale require conformity to the Pakistan Standards.
Polypropylene block bottom valve sacks for packing cement are also in compulsory list of PSQCA and Government of Pakistan has already issued a SRO.
According PSQCA, Pakistan is only country in the world that uses Kraft paper sack for the cement packaging and mandatory notification of polypropylene cement sack is made to save the health of people from the unhygienic, hazardous and environmentally detrimental Kraft paper cement sacks that are used for the food packaging as per the National Institute of Health, Islamabad directives of November 6, 2014 for the use of polypropylene sacks for cement packaging instead of Kraft paper sacks so as to save nation against serious health hazards from its use for food packaging that causes major and very serious health problems across the country because of the mixing of carcinogenic meshed cement particles in the food items.
The PSQCA maintained that the mandatory notification for the one side laminated, one side woven polypropylene food grade wheat flour sack is made to save the wastage of Rs. 35 billions of wheat flour per annum.
Pakistan’s 40% of population that lives below the poverty line suffer loss of wheat four owing to the current non-food grade, porous wheat flour sack produced form the plastic scrap.
Mubashir Hasan, Incharge PSQCA/ SDC Liaison Office Haripur, in his letter to three Cement Companies has stated that the quality and standard of articles is one of the essential and important elements in the procurement process which cannot be ignored by the public and private organizations and it is responsibility and legal obligation of all the public and private sector organizations to ensure that unlicensed/sub-standard products, food and non-food are not purchased by public sector organizations.
However, three organizations are involved in the manufacturing, sale and usage of Government prohibited Kraft paper sacks for the cement packaging.
In view of these e facts, the three cement manufacturers have been directed to stop use of Kraft paper sacks for the cement packaging with warning that whoever contravenes any of the provisions of this Act or any rule made or notification issued there-under, including a notification issued under Section-14, prohibiting, manufacture, storage or sale of an article not conforming to the Pakistan Standard shall, if no other penalty is elsewhere provided under this Act, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees, or with both.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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