AMC Food Safety Drive Under Scrutiny: Over 50 Fafda-Jalebi Samples Collected in Ahmedabad, Test Reports Due Only After Dussehra

AHMEDABAD — With Dussehra festivities triggering a massive surge in demand for traditional festive snacks, the Food Safety Department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has launched widespread inspections across sweet shops and roadside stalls in the city. Officials have collected more than 50 food samples of fafda and jalebi and dispatched them to testing laboratories. However, the civic drive has drawn sharp criticism from residents, as testing reports will only arrive well after the festival ends and the food is consumed.

The annual Dussehra rush sees thousands of citizens lining up outside sweet marts and temporary stalls from early morning. While the food department stepped in to check the quality of edible oils, flour, and colours used in preparation, procedural laboratory delays mean the results will arrive far too late to prevent the sale or consumption of substandard items.

Delayed Lab Reports Defeat Purpose of Safety Checks

Concerned citizens and consumer activists pointed out that sampling without rapid testing renders the enforcement drive ineffective. By the time laboratory analysis confirms whether samples meet safety standards or contain harmful adulterants, tone-deaf timing ensures the entire stock will already have been sold and eaten.

Key concerns raised over the food drive:

• Delayed Testing: Reports for over 50 samples taken across the city will only be released post-Dussehra.
• No Immediate Safeguards: Substandard or contaminated food items cannot be seized before public consumption.
• Demand for On-Spot Testing: Citizens have urged the AMC to deploy mobile testing vans and rapid test kits during major festivals to ensure real-time action against defaulters.

AMC Estate Department Missing as Encroachments Cause Traffic Jams

While food inspectors carried out checks over the last two days, the AMC's Estate Department came under fire for failing to act against widespread encroachments. Temporary tents and makeshift stalls erected on public roads and building parking lots by sweet vendors led to severe traffic bottlenecks across several commercial corridors.

Despite heavy vehicle congestion and illegal road blockades caused by temporary setups, estate officials remained largely absent from the ground, leaving commuters to navigate jammed streets unassisted.