Mumbai: Ahead of festivities, BMC asks officials to launch drive to check quality of sweets, 'mawa' sold by shops

Ahead of the festive season, directions have been given to the officials to launch a special drive from September 1 to December 31, the BMC said

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed the officials of its health department to launch a special drive to check the quality of sweets and 'mawa' (solidified milk) used for making them to ensure that no incidents of food poisoning occur due to adulteration in these items, reported the PTI.

The 10-day Ganesh festival, starting on September 19, kickstarts the festive season in the country as it is followed by Navratri, Dussehra, Diwali and Christmas celebrations, according to the PTI.

In a press release issued on Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said that ahead of the festive season, directions have been given to the officials to launch a special drive from September 1 to December 31.

Under this drive, health officers and sanitary inspectors have been asked to check the quality of sweets and 'mawa' by visiting sweet shops and cold storages, it said.

The civic body also asked the establishments selling sweets and milk-based products to take special care during the festival season to avoid any incidents of food poisoning.

It also urged people not to consume sweets if the colour or smell of these items change, and also asked them to report about it to the BMC in such cases.

Meanwhile, in a recent meeting of the encroachment removal committee with various government authorities in the Mumbai metropolis, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal instructed different government agencies to work together to eliminate encroachments. He also emphasised the need to prepare and maintain organised records of encroachment removal operations. Additionally, Chahal directed the police system to prioritise providing manpower during encroachment removal processes.

The meeting was chaired by Chahal and attended by officials of various agencies.

The civic administrator stressed that all relevant agencies must take effective measures to remove encroachments on government plots and underscored the importance of maintaining comprehensive records of encroachment clearance operations at various authority levels. He explained that this information is crucial for investigations and legal proceedings. Chahal also called for an end to debris dumping on government agency plots and recommended that assistant municipal commissioners and local police prioritise the installation of CCTV cameras in such areas.

(with PTI inputs) 

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