Illiterate and poor people of Keamari got a fascinating, but incipiently dangerous, opportunity to make money when Pakistan Customs (PCs) disposed thousands of kilograms of chickpeas in a coal yard at Keamari Groyne after a huge consignment of the edible seed expired at Karachi Port.
The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) started dumping the imported edible seed, which is locally known as "channa", in its coal yard after receiving a green signal from the PCs, which declared at least 600 bags of the kitchen item unfit for human consumption.
"The dumped chickpeas were a left over of a great consignment of the edible seed, which was previously imported in three vessels and was laying on the port for a long time," official sources in KPT told Business Recorder on Saturday.
Apart from the economic loses the national exchequer will ultimately have to bear in one way or another, what stands more dangerous about the development is that poor people of the area are secretly taking away the life-threatening food item.
"I am a poor man, I will sell it out to a Kabari who is purchasing it at Rs 4 per kilogram," replied Asghar a rickshaw driver when questioned on usage of the poisonous food item.
Hayatullah, Asghar's partner, said the "army" (Port Security Force) had prevented them from stealing the seeds and told them of its dangerous consequences once used. "We will not eat it we will feed it to our horse after boiling which will make it useable," the poorly dressed Hayat added.
"We dug up the land and put some chickpeas into it while some was spread in open for being destroyed by the dumpers carrying coal but some scavengers were successful in taking away the commodity lying in open," the KPT sources said.
When asked what was the KPT's interest in the dumping they replied that the congestion hit port operator wanted to make its warehouse clear of the food item, which was a private consignment. "We wanted to get rid of the left over consignment as we are also facing some space constraints in our warehouses so we dumped it as soon as we got an OK from the Customs," the sources added.
They also acknowledged that the food item was detrimental for not only human being but, if fed, animals were also likely to face its effects or side-effects.
On criteria to declare a consignment expired at port the KPT sources said there was a certain expiry date for the imported commodities lying at port and PCs was the authority to decide the fate of a consignment. No official from PCs was available for comments.