The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has launched an operation to seize hundreds of tonnes of deformed steel bars from unlicensed and illegal steel mills.
The PSQCA team raided and sealed the premises of six units involved in producing substandard steel construction products. The mills have been prohibited from producing the products in the future by the authority. Six unlicensed steel manufacturers in Daroghawala were raided. In addition to the steel bars, the team seized the stock of a cable manufacturing unit and barred its management from further production.
The Steel Manufacturers Association recently wrote to the federal government and the PSQCA, urging them to take action against such enterprises that produce inferior steel products. The letter warned the government that steel products made outside of established procedures harm structures and cause long-term material and human life damage.
According to news reports, the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) asked the government last month to implement standard manufacturing procedures for steel bars to reduce the market for substandard products.
Moreover, the association has urged Federal Minister for Science and Technology Agha Hassan Baloch to ensure that the Pakistan Quality Control and Standard Authority (PSQCA) procedure is strictly adhered to in the market. According to the association, subpar steel bar manufacturing endangers lives due to its inability to withstand service pressure and climate change considerations.
In their letter, PALSP also encouraged the government to make plans for the adoption of the PSQCA Standard PS-1879-2018 for steel reinforcement bars, which requires the entire process of melting, refining, and rolling with comprehensive temperature controls for bar manufacturing. According to the association, the investigation into steel fabrication revealed standards violations that could result in the loss of lives.
It is critical to remember that steel is one of the most commonly used building materials and is not directly regulated by the government. Following the adoption of the 18th Amendment in 2010, each province is now responsible for the standard quality procedure within its borders, resulting in inconsistent regulation and lax enforcement.