Zagade transferred before end of stint as Maharashtra FDA commissioner

Weeks before the end of his tenure as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra commissioner, Mahesh Zagade has been transferred.

This development was preceded by a reshuffle of the state Cabinet, wherein Amit Vilasrao Deshmukh succeeded Satej D (Bunty) Patil as minister of state for food and drug administration. According to sources, Patil’s departure was the main reason why Zagade’s tenure was not extended further.

Purshottam Bhapkar, former director, municipal administration, Government of Maharashtra, has succeeded Zagade as chief of the state regulator. He was Aurangabad’s municipal commissioner until 2012. Y P Yajurvedi Rao, president, Society for Awareness of Civil Rights, hoped he would use his experience and expertise to keep up the good work.

Rao stated, “It is sad that Zagade was transferred before the end of his tenure. He was one of the few officers who spoke about regulations and enforcement. He banned gutkha and other tobacco products across Maharashtra, and did the state proud by bagging a World Health Organisation (WHO) accolade for the same.”

Commenting on Zagade’s transfer, an FDA Maharashtra source, on the condition of anonymity, said, “He was an honest and strict officer, whose agenda was regulations and their enforcement. He was transferred hurriedly - while his three-year term would have come to an end on August 29, 2014.”