Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) is going to introduce modifications in existing laws to bring the local quality standards with the international level. This was stated by Azam Khan Sawati, Federal Minister for Science and Technology during a press conference here on Monday.
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T) is working with Senate's Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to strengthen PSQCA laws for taking stern action against the substandard manufacturers across the country, the minister added. "The draft approved by the committee would be presented in the National Assembly and the Senate for approval," Sawati said, adding that after approval of the laws these would be implemented immediately all over the country.
He said that the provinces were following decades old standard laws. He requested the courts not to grant bail to PSQCA laws' violators, if they were booked for violations. He said the ministry had proposed mobile testing laboratories in all major cities of the country for monitoring quality of products and their assessment. He said the authority has launched a campaign against the manufacturers of substandard products. The authority would seal off factories of the substandard manufacturers, if they did not stop manufacturing the products after warnings, he added.
"Around 80 percent of the products, which are being manufactured in the country, are substandard," he said, adding that he has requested the government to remove all such products from the government offices to boycott substandard manufacturers.
He said a team of PSQCA mobile testing laboratory was made hostage for hours by the administration of CSD, when they raided a CSD store for quality checking recently. Like this, the management of Utility Stores Corporation (USC) had harassed PSQCA team when they raided a USC outlet in the city. He said that he had approached Secretary Defence and Managing Director USC for action against the responsible.
"There are only 27 quality inspectors in the country and the ministry is going to appoint more inspectors for effective enforcement of quality laws," the minister informed. He said the MoS&T had established its camp offices in Sukkur and Faisalabad for better coverage.
He said the ministry had revised marking fees and reduced it by 50 percent to encourage maximum registration of manufacturers. He said that the certification mark of PSQCA has been changed. In Karachi, the new building of PSQCA is almost completed and office would be shifted to the new building by the end of October, he added.