PESHAWAR: The owners and managers of a number of well-known food outlets and superstores in the provincial capital were sent behind bars for selling rotten and expired items despite charging high rates from the customers. Some of the food outlets and popular shopping centres were sealed and their owners or managers were either fined or sent behind bars during raids carried out by the district administration in the last almost a week. Surprisingly, in most of the raids the officials of the district administration were accompanied by the Khassadar force from the Frontier Region Peshawar instead of the Peshawar Police. The deputy commissioner Peshawar commands the Khassadar force in the capacity of the political agent of Frontier Region Peshawar. “So far Avon, Jans Arcade, A to Z, Pizza Hut, KFC and Hyper Mall have been raided. Jans Arcade, Munchies and Tutti Fruiti were each fined Rs300,000, which is the maximum penalty. KFC, Tutti Fruiti and Munchies were sealed,” Osama Ahmad Warraich, Additional Deputy Commissioner Peshawar told The News. He said that Pizza Hut was also fined. “Managers were arrested in all the raids after rotten vegetables, meat or expired goods were recovered from the outlets,” Osama Warraich added. The ADC along with other officials also raided the lone five-star hotel in the city. “We raided the Pearl Continental Hotel where we found expired items, rotten food and pathetic condition of cleanliness. We arrested the general manager. Legal action will be taken,” he said. He said the next target was likely to be the popular bakeries. A number of items recovered from these popular outlets that are charging many times more than ordinary restaurants and shops were not only expired but worms were found in vegetables and chicken being sold there. The action came into limelight when two popular shopping centres and two international food chain outlets were sealed for selling expired and rotten food and other items. Almost all the sealed outlets have been allowed to resume operations after their written assurances not to repeat the mistake. “All sealed businesses submitted affidavit along with the fine promising not to repeat the crime of selling expired items again. They have been allowed to carry out operations while keeping in view the law regarding food,” an official at the deputy commissioner office said. Many Peshawar residents want the drive to be carried out on a regular basis to keep a check on those playing with the lives of the general public by selling substandard, rotten and expired food. “The restaurants on the Ring Road, the tikka shops in Namak Mandi and all the restaurants and bakeries on the University Road need to be checked. Besides, all the super stores charging high rates need to be fined for fleecing the customers,” a student and political worker, Qazi Jalal, demanded. The action against some of the popular food chains and shopping centres has alerted owners and managers of all the food outlets to take care of hygiene to avoid arrest and fine. They are worried that it could be their turn next to face the wrath of the district administration of Peshawar. Most of the restaurants, ice cream parlours, tikka shops and vendors selling food items in Peshawar do not take care of hygiene. Besides, there is no check on the prices in the restaurants and super stores.
