Key Update

After intensifying its enforcement drive across the city during the festive season, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) in Prayagraj fined 20 traders a total of ₹15.80 lakh for selling adulterated, substandard, or misbranded food products.

Multiple Food Samples Fail Quality Tests

Officials collected samples of singhada flour, gram flour, papad, rusk, kulfi, sweets, snacks, sauces, and other food items from various establishments. Laboratory tests confirmed that several products were unsafe, of poor quality, or misbranded. Acting on these findings and following court orders, the FSDA penalised the traders involved.

Highest Penalties Target Major Offenders

The department fined Pradeep Kumar Agrahari of Ram Bhavan Chauraha and Neelam Kripa, a sauce manufacturer from Kanpur’s Dada Nagar, ₹1.80 lakh each, the highest penalties imposed. It issued the same fine to Ajay Madhyan and Sandhya Madhyan of Lukerganj after their fruit rusk samples failed quality and branding standards. Indra Kumar Madhyan received ₹1.50 lakh for producing substandard kulfi.

Other Significant Penalties

The department fined Rashid Sageed of Statesman House, Hewett Road, ₹1 lakh for selling misbranded jeera papdi. It imposed ₹80,000 each on Deepak Sethi of South Malaka and Vibhu Kesariwani of Nakhas Kohna for substandard singhada and gram flour, and ₹70,000 on Sanket Jaiswal of Teliarganj for inferior arhar dal. Other traders faced fines ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹65,000. The authorities fined six traders ₹60,000 each for selling adulterated milk and milk products, and another trader received ₹65,000.

Traders Asked to Deposit Penalties Within 30 Days

Assistant Commissioner (Food)–II Sushil Kumar Singh instructed all traders to deposit their fines within 30 days through a challan. He warned that if they fail to comply, the department will issue a Recovery Certificate (RC) and initiate compulsory recovery proceedings.

Source: The Times of India