Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation inspected 148 food stalls at 15 garba venues on the first night of Navratri and found that 41 vendors did not have the required Food Safety and Standards Authority of India registration. The civic body completed registration for those vendors at the venues and said inspections would continue throughout the festival.
The inspections were carried out by the corporation’s health and food department under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related rules. Officials checked stall hygiene, food quality, storage practices and compliance with food-safety requirements. The exercise covered garba venues in Gota, Chandlodia, Ghatlodia, Vastrapur, Ramol, Vastral, Nikol and Vasna, among other areas.
The North-West Zone accounted for the largest share of inspections, with 81 stalls checked across nine garba venues. Eighteen food samples were collected in the zone, while 24 food items underwent on-site testing. The corporation said 62 stalls in the zone had FSSAI registration.
In the East Zone, teams inspected 59 stalls at five garba venues, collected 19 food samples and conducted on-site tests on 10 food items. The civic body recorded FSSAI registration for 37 stalls in the zone. In the West Zone, eight stalls at one venue were inspected, four food samples were collected and one food item was tested on site. All eight stalls had FSSAI registration, according to the report.
The corporation said its teams conducted preliminary tests on 35 food items using a Total Plate Count machine. It stated that all the items tested on site met the prescribed standards. The report does not provide the individual food items tested or the detailed readings from the machine.
The 41 vendors found without registration were issued registration at the venues after the process was completed on site, allowing them to continue their businesses. The action means the immediate enforcement response focused on bringing temporary festival vendors into the registration system rather than shutting the stalls.
The inspected venues included Rasleela Navratri, Maniyaro Garba, Vibrant Norata, Sanskrutik Sheri Garba, Adhyashakti Garba, Pandal Garba, Krishnamay Raas, Karnavati No Garbo, Shyambag Raas Garba, Kesariya Taal, Leuva Patidar Yuva Sangathan, Khodaldham Garba and Rock and Dhol.
The health and food department appealed to garba organisers and stall operators to maintain cleanliness while preparing and serving food, store food safely and ensure personal hygiene among workers. The corporation said inspections would continue during Navratri and that violations of food-safety rules would invite action under the applicable law.
