After regulating scores of Lahore eateries and food outlets under certain hygiene standards and regulations, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Director (Operations) Ayesha Mumtaz is now after beverage, mineral water and catering companies, milk sellers and marriage halls these days. `Thou shalt not adulterate` is her motto and Punjab has been in love with her interventions.

Mumtaz is a Grade-18 officer from the provincial management service (PMS, Ex-PCS). She had joined the PFA on June 1, 2015, after Punjab`s food secretary requisitioned her service from the Services and General Administration Department. Soon after assuming charge, she went into campaign mode and launched her crackdown.

`Before joining the PFA, I worked as a district officer in the city district government. When 1 joined, there were murmurs about how a woman officer couldn`t possibly work at a position that apparently necessitated a man to do the job dealing with issues of bus and truck terminals, mobs, clashes and so on.

Mumtaz persevered regardless; she claims she did her best to regulate the bus and truck terminals besides forcing passengers and goods transporters to follow the rules. But her new posting in the PFA brought the best out of her.

`I am basically a field-oriented officer and always like to have postings where I can go out into the field,` she explains.Since her seniors were well aware of her uncompromising nature, they gave her free rein to launch her drive against food establishments.

`I launched the campaign on June 15 last year by starting it from the very basics, such as cleanliness of a meal or a table where food is ought to be served,` she narrates.

Mumtaz claims that PFA`s vigorous campaign has so far taken action against 15,381 hotels and restaurants, 988 marriage halls, 6,595 sweets bakers, 579 food producing units and 35,348 other premises. These actions include sealing of 3,025 premises besides arrest of 386 people under 179 cases registered against them.

Then there were 114,432 litres of unhygienic milk and thousands of kilograms of substandard commodities such as red chilli powder, tea and other sorts of expired food items that were seized and discarded. As a result of the drive, the owners of 12,700 eateries have thus far received licenses after getting their businesses registered with the PFA.

Mumtaz says that she has recently diverted focus from eateries to other food businesses, keeping in view the public interest. `Though we will continue visiting eateries side by side, we are now mainly focusing on our anti-adulteration drive these days. Under this, we are penalising those involved in adulteration of milk, water, powders, beverages, wedding halls, caterers etc,` she says.

Asked why she didn`t inspect food businesses in the limits of cantonment boards, she said she wanted to do it, but the legal hitches made her unable to do so.

`Actually under the law, the cantonment boards are supposed to deal with such issues on their own within their territorial limits. And the city governments, PFA ete cannot perform such jobs in the areas falling within limits of cantonment boards. That is why we cannot do this,` she argues.

The matter has been taken up with cantonment boards` administration, she explains, on account of increasing complaints related to hygiene. A number of` l`ood companies have shifted their production units to areas within the jurisdiction of` cantonment boards, limits since they know that the PFA wouldn`t be able to touch them there.

Mumtaz believes that officials without courage and integrity can never work in the best interest of the public at large.

`I think you have to have energy to put someone on their toes. If you have this energy and courage, you can overcome all odds,` she says.

Having been awarded an appreciation shield from Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif`, Mumtaz says the secret to her success is not falling to the mediocrity of routine.

`Officials fond of routine work can never serve people in an impressive manner. I think you must distinguish yourself through your work by maintaining impartiality in the implementation of law,` Mumtaz concludes.