The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has intensified its food-safety inspections ahead of Diwali, sealing two food units, fining four sweet shops a total of ₹40,000 and sending samples from 23 shops for laboratory testing, according to a report by Sandesh.
The sealed units include a bhajiya-pakoda shop in Naranpura and Bharat Food in Vatva. The action was taken after the civic body found that inedible oil was allegedly being used at the two establishments. The report does not identify the establishments by name beyond Bharat Food or specify the quantity or type of oil involved.
The inspections were conducted by the AMC health department as demand for sweets and other prepared food products rises during the Diwali season. The enforcement drive covers food outlets in different parts of Ahmedabad and is focused on checking the quality and safety of products being sold to residents during the festival period.
Four sweet shops were also fined ₹40,000 in total after AMC inspections found that they did not have rapid testing kits available. The report does not specify the individual fine imposed on each shop. It also does not state whether the absence of a rapid testing kit was linked to any confirmed quality violation in the sweets sold by those outlets.
The civic health department collected sweet samples from 23 shops across the city. These samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing, and the results are expected to provide further clarity on their quality. No laboratory findings were available in the supplied report at the time of publication.
The action highlights the role of municipal health departments in monitoring food sold during periods of concentrated seasonal demand. For residents, the immediate enforcement measures involve two sealed establishments and penalties against four shops, while the larger set of 23 samples remains subject to laboratory examination.
The AMC has said the inspections are intended to ensure that citizens receive quality and safe food products during Diwali. Further action on the sampled shops will depend on the laboratory reports, according to the information published by Sandesh.
