Dhanbad, September 30: In a first-of-its-kind festive season crackdown, the Dhanbad District Food Safety team has imposed fines totaling ₹30,000 on over a dozen sweet shops after detecting adulterated and substandard food items, violating the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
The special inspection drive, carried out ahead of Durga Puja, was led by Food Safety Officer (FSO) Raja Kumar in Baliapur block on Monday evening. Teams visited multiple outlets, checking popular sweets, snacks, and other festive treats.
Among the shops penalized, Arvind Sweets in Karmatand was fined ₹15,000 for selling laddoos containing artificial coloring and samosas with adulterated spices, deemed harmful for consumption. Ganpati Sweets was slapped with a ₹10,000 fine for unhygienic conditions, while Asani Sweets faced a ₹2,000 penalty for using non-edible coloring in sweets.
A particularly alarming case was reported at Madan Sweets, where a dead cockroach was discovered inside a rasgulla. The contaminated item was immediately destroyed, and the shop was fined ₹2,000 for failing to maintain basic hygiene standards.
As part of the operation, the team also collected nearly 40 kg of food samples, which have been sent to the State Food Testing Laboratory in Namkum, Ranchi, for detailed analysis. FSO Raja Kumar confirmed that further action will be based on laboratory findings.
Authorities have issued a stern warning to all sweet shop owners to maintain cleanliness and avoid using unsafe ingredients. Any violations will attract strict penalties under the FSSA, 2006.
