Between 23 and 27 September, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration seized 50,601.78 kg of food worth ₹1.19 crore and suspended licences at 13 Mumbai, six Konkan, eight Pune and three Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar establishments. The move followed in‑house inspections that uncovered live rodents, flies, and dead cockroaches in the kitchens of Kyani & Co and Colaba Sweet Mart, as well as a blood‑stained refrigerator in a Kalbadevi outlet.
The FDA also found that several sites lacked pest‑control records, staff medical fitness certificates and personal protective equipment. In Pune, a National Commodities Management Services warehouse was shut for unsafe fumigation, while in Khed a dairy stored 909 kg of khoa and 349 kg of paneer in unsanitary conditions.
Legal action was taken against 30 food‑service operators, with 22 FIRs registered and 30 people arrested. Three premises were sealed and three vehicles worth ₹14.80 lakh were confiscated. Seized stock totaled 6,366.88 kg in Pune, Kolhapur and Solapur, and 23,806.90 kg in Konkan, including sev, gathiya, and milk‑based products suspected of being substandard.
Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe told reporters the government would continue strict enforcement, warning that any violation during the upcoming festive season would be met with immediate sanctions. He added that the FDA would monitor supply chains more closely to prevent adulteration.
For the families living in Dharavi, one vendor said the licence revocation meant losing a livelihood that had sustained her for 15 years. Meanwhile, a farmer in Sangli district expressed relief that the fumigation issue at the warehouse would finally be resolved.
The next step will be a court hearing scheduled for early October, where the FDA will present evidence against the 30 accused establishments, and the state government will outline a revised compliance calendar for the upcoming festival period.