Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation found 41 unregistered food stalls operating at garba venues during the first night of Navratri, but allowed them to complete registration on the spot instead of sealing them as previously warned. The civic body’s health and food department inspected 148 stalls across 15 venues and said 35 food samples met prescribed safety standards.
The inspections were conducted on Sunday as part of the AMC’s special drive covering garba venues, housing societies and party plots. The campaign was intended to check food licences, hygiene, food quality and storage practices during the festival period, when large gatherings create concentrated demand for temporary food vendors.
Of the 148 stalls inspected, 107 had valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India licences or registrations. The remaining 41 vendors were issued notices, after which their registration procedures were completed at the venues. The action differed from the AMC’s earlier warning that stalls operating without valid licences would be sealed.
The department also collected 35 food samples and tested them on site. According to the report, all the samples met the prescribed safety standards, and no punitive action was taken over food quality. The inspection findings therefore separated two enforcement issues: the vendors’ licensing status and the safety results of the food samples tested.
The inspections covered venues including Raas Leela Navratri, Maniyaro Garbo and Vibrant Navratri in Gota; Cultural Sheri Garba in Chandlodiya; Adyashakti Garba in Ghatlodiya; the tourism department’s garba in Vastrapur; Karnavati’s Garba in Ramol; Kesariya Taal Garba in Vastral; and Khodaldham Garba in Nikol. The AMC also inspected other venues across the city.
The North West Zone accounted for 81 of the inspected stalls across nine venues. Five venues in the East Zone accounted for five stalls, while eight stalls were inspected at one venue in the West Zone. The distribution shows that the enforcement drive covered venues of different sizes and locations, although the supplied report does not specify how many of the 41 unregistered stalls were found in each zone.
The AMC had announced the special inspection drive on October 3 and urged garba organisers to allot stalls only to vendors holding valid FSSAI licences or registrations. The civic body also said unlicensed stalls would be sealed. The decision to complete registrations on site has now made the first round of inspections an exercise in immediate compliance rather than closure.
The health and food department said inspections would continue at other garba venues over the coming days. Those follow-up inspections will determine whether vendors comply with licensing, hygiene, food-quality and storage requirements as the festival season continues.
