Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s food department has sealed four farsan manufacturing units after inspections found alleged violations of food safety, hygiene, storage and used-cooking-oil disposal requirements ahead of the Diwali festival.
The action was taken during intensified checks of sweet shops, farsan and namkeen manufacturers, bakeries and units operating under the name of home industries across the city. The inspections are intended to ensure that residents have access to food products that meet required safety and hygiene standards during the festive season.
According to Dr Tejas Shah, who oversees the municipal food department, teams have begun detailed inspections and sample collection at establishments producing or selling sweets, farsan, namkeen and bakery products before Diwali. He said the department’s checks identified violations at four units and led to sealing action.
The sealed establishments include Swastik Foods and Shyamsunder Food Products, both operating at Maheshwari Estate on Dudheshwar Road. The other two units are located near the old Prakash Kumar Kanyalal establishment beside Pratap Cinema on Gandhi Road and at the Amratlal Kuberdar Namkeenwala unit.
The municipal department found a lack of cleanliness at the premises and non-compliance with required provisions governing the manufacture, storage and sale of food products, according to the report. The units were also sealed for failing to enter into an agreement with an agency recognised by the Government of India for disposing of used and burnt oil generated during frying.
The used-oil requirement is significant for farsan and namkeen manufacturers because repeated or improper use of frying oil can become a food safety concern, while discarded oil can create disposal and environmental problems if it enters drainage systems or is handled outside authorised channels. The municipal action, however, was reported primarily as an enforcement response to violations found during inspections.
Municipal food department sources told Nav Gujarat Samay that the teams faced political pressure while sealing the four units. The report said the mayor and municipal commissioner instructed officials to proceed against food manufacturers whose operations could compromise public health, without yielding to such pressure. The identities of those who allegedly exerted the pressure were not disclosed in the report.
The inspections form part of a wider pre-Diwali enforcement exercise covering commercial food premises and smaller production units. The department has also started collecting samples, although the report did not specify the number of samples taken, the substances tested or whether any prosecution or monetary penalties had been initiated against the four sealed establishments.
Separately, health committee chairman Deepakbhai Panchal said instructions had been issued to the Solid Waste Department to ensure morning and evening cleaning in city markets and commercial complexes during the Diwali period. Members of the municipal health committee also raised complaints about cattle appearing in some areas and stray dogs reported by residents.
The report did not state when the sealed units may be permitted to reopen or identify the corrective measures required for that to happen. Further action will depend on the municipal department’s inspections, sample-testing process and compliance assessment.
