Bhubaneswar: With festive demand for sweets soaring ahead of Diwali, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a citywide crackdown on unhygienic sweet shops and food outlets to ensure public safety.
The Food Safety Squad of the civic body on Friday conducted surprise raids across multiple sweet stalls, penalising several establishments for violating food safety norms and unhygienic kitchen conditions.
The inspections were conducted across popular confectioneries and local sweet stalls as part of a special Diwali food safety drive.
BMC officials said the initiative was aimed at curbing adulteration and poor hygiene practices that tend to spike during the festival season when sweet consumption is at its peak. Several units in Bhubaneswar were found operating without proper cleanliness measures, leading to on-the-spot penalties ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000.
Officials from the BMC’s Food Safety Wing checked kitchens, storage rooms, and packaging areas for compliance with hygiene and quality standards.
Teams also collected samples of sweets, dough mixes, and water from various outlets for laboratory testing. Each store was advised to ensure that workers wore gloves, aprons, and head caps during food preparation and serving.
A BMC health officer, speaking during the inspection, said that the objective of the raids was to ensure that citizens consume safe and hygienic food.
“In view of Diwali festivities, the BMC has begun a random food inspection drive across the city. This is not targeted but entirely random. At one particular outlet, hygiene lapses were found, and a fine of Rs 5,000 was imposed. Samples have been collected for further testing, and any contamination will be dealt with strictly as per law,” said an official.
Officials cautioned that repeat violations of health and food safety regulations could lead to shop closures and licence suspension.
The BMC also confirmed that inspection drives would continue throughout the festive week, with teams deployed across all major markets and sweet-selling zones in the smart city.