RAWALPINDI: The Tea Inquiry Committee, at present visiting West Pakistan, will recommend stringent measures to the Central Government against adulteration of tea.

Talking to PPA, the former Commerce Minister and Chairman of the Committee, Mr Hafizur Rahman, said during the course of its inquiry at different places in Pakistan it was brought to his notice that some unscrupulous people are making huge profits by adulterating tea with different things. `This cannot be tolerated,` the Chairman remarked.

Mr Hafizur Rahman said the Committee will try to submit the report before the close of the current financial year. According to him, it has already completed the inquiry at Sylhet, Siri Mongol Chittagong, Peshawar, Khyber Agency, L andi Kotal and Rawalpindi.

He met the officials of the Ministry of Commerce and local traders and other concerned persons here today [May 3]. He will leave here tomorrow to visit Lahore, Quetta and Karachi and then go back to Dacca.

The Inquiry Committee, constituted about six months ago, is probing into different issues relating to price, consumption, production sale and distribution and allied matters of the tea business. Agencies [Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent in Karachi,] Ashraf, proprietor of Ashraf Sweetmeat Mart, Frere Road, was yesterday [May 3] fined Rs1,000 or in def ault sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a period of one month by the Additional City Magistrate, Mr Abdullah D. Baloch, for selling adulterated sweetmeat.

The sample of Burfi procured from the accused by an inspector of the Karachi Municipal Corporation on Dec 8 last year, according to the Public Analyst`s report, contained 3.8 per cent less milk fats.

The defence had contested the report of the Public Analyst and had requested the court to send the sample to the Chemical Examiner, Government of West Pakistan, for re-examination.

The Chemical Examiner in his report confirmed that the sample was adulterated.