FDA raids godowns in Masjid Bunder and Null Bazaar after receiving tip offs.
It’s been nine months since the sale and consumption of gutkha and pan masala was banned in Maharashtra. People may largely believe that the ban is being successfully implemented in the state, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the same.
In one of the biggest catches of 2013 so far, the FDA seized a gutka consignment worth Rs45 lakh from Masjid Bunder and Null bazaar areas in the city on Saturday.
Interestingly, the FDA officers were working on a tip off since the last two and half months. Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner (food), FDA said, “Even after nine months into the ban, we saw empty packets of gutka and pan masala. It was an indication that the business of gutka and pan masala was still being carried on.”
Working on this query, the FDA wrote a letter to the BMC and the railways to check if any gutka consignments were being brought in the city using their service. “Both the BMC and the Railways declined that they had noticed any consignments being supplied to the city through their service.
We then started working on our own,” said Deshmukh.
The FDA got a tip off that consignments were being stocked in large numbers in godowns near Masjid Bunder and Null Bazaar areas. “We deputed our people in these areas. We had been cross checking our facts since the past few months and finally decided to raid the godowns where consignments worth Rs45 lakh were seized,” said Deshmukh.
The FDA is now in the process of filing an FIR with the local police to find out how and when the consignments came to the city. Deshmukh added that they wanted to find out who sent them too and break through the chain.
The state had attempted to ban gutkha in 2002 and then in 2008, but encountered several legal hurdles. The new Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), which was passed last year, will facilitate the ban which was implemented in July 2012.
In one of the biggest catches of 2013 so far, the FDA seized a gutka consignment worth Rs45 lakh from Masjid Bunder and Null bazaar areas in the city on Saturday.
Interestingly, the FDA officers were working on a tip off since the last two and half months. Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner (food), FDA said, “Even after nine months into the ban, we saw empty packets of gutka and pan masala. It was an indication that the business of gutka and pan masala was still being carried on.”
Working on this query, the FDA wrote a letter to the BMC and the railways to check if any gutka consignments were being brought in the city using their service. “Both the BMC and the Railways declined that they had noticed any consignments being supplied to the city through their service.
We then started working on our own,” said Deshmukh.
The FDA got a tip off that consignments were being stocked in large numbers in godowns near Masjid Bunder and Null Bazaar areas. “We deputed our people in these areas. We had been cross checking our facts since the past few months and finally decided to raid the godowns where consignments worth Rs45 lakh were seized,” said Deshmukh.
The FDA is now in the process of filing an FIR with the local police to find out how and when the consignments came to the city. Deshmukh added that they wanted to find out who sent them too and break through the chain.
The state had attempted to ban gutkha in 2002 and then in 2008, but encountered several legal hurdles. The new Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), which was passed last year, will facilitate the ban which was implemented in July 2012.
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