The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation inspected 148 food stalls at 15 garba venues on the first night of Navratri, finding that 41 vendors did not have the required Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) registration. The civic body completed the registration process for the vendors at the venues and allowed them to continue operating.
The inspections were carried out by teams from the corporation’s health and food department under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related regulations. Officials checked stall hygiene, food quality, food safety practices and compliance with registration requirements at major garba locations across the city.
The civic department conducted inspections in the north-west, east and west zones. In the north-west zone, teams checked 81 stalls at nine garba venues. They collected 18 food samples and carried out on-site tests on 24 food items. The corporation said 62 of the inspected stalls in the zone had FSSAI registration.
In the east zone, officials inspected 59 stalls at five venues, collected 19 samples and tested 10 food items at the locations. The department recorded FSSAI registration for 37 stalls in this zone. In the west zone, eight stalls at one garba venue were inspected, with four food samples collected and one item tested on site. All eight stalls in the west zone had FSSAI registration, according to the civic body.
A total of 35 food items underwent preliminary on-site testing using a TPC machine. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said all the items tested were found to meet the prescribed standards. The report did not provide details of the specific food items tested or the individual test readings.
The 41 vendors found operating without the required registration were issued registrations at the venues after completing the process on site. The inspected garba locations included areas such as Gota, Chandlodia, Ghatlodia, Vastrapur, Ramol, Vastral, Nikol and Vasna. The venues included Rasleela Navratri, Maniyaro Garba, Vibrant Norata, Sanskritik Sheri Garba, Adhyashakti Garba, Pandal Garba, Krishnamay Raas, Karnavati No Garbo, Shyambag Raas Garba, Kesariya Taal, Leuva Patidar Yuva Sangathan, Khodaldham Garba and Rock and Dhol.
The civic health and food department asked garba organisers and food-stall operators to maintain hygiene while preparing and serving food, store food safely and ensure personal cleanliness among workers. The corporation said inspections would continue during Navratri and that action would be taken under applicable law if violations of food-safety rules were found.
