Festive Fraud: Delhi Govt Seizes 948 Litres of Ghee in Major Crackdown
Delhi government seizes nearly 950 litres of ghee in festive season raids. CM Rekha Gupta warns adulterators of strict action.
In a massive blow to food adulterators operating during the festive rush, the Delhi government has seized 948.9 litres of ghee across three different locations. The operation, part of an ongoing drive to ensure food safety, targeted markets where the risk of adulteration is highest during peak celebration periods.
Targeted Raids Across the Capital
The raids were carried out on Wednesday, focusing on three key areas. The Food Safety Department, in some instances collaborating with the Delhi Police, uncovered significant quantities of suspicious ghee:
- Bhogal Market: 389.9 litres seized.
- Najafgarh Market: 338 litres seized.
- Shiv Vihar: 221 litres seized.
Officials did not stop at seizures; fifteen separate samples were collected from the Bhogal and Najafgarh sites and dispatched to laboratories for rigorous testing. The government has stated that further legal action will be initiated based on the laboratory findings.
Modernizing Food Safety Infrastructure
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has signaled a shift toward a more tech-driven approach to combat food fraud. The government plans to empower the Food Safety Department by integrating modern technology and increasing the number of personnel to accelerate inspections. To ensure no gap in surveillance, the CM mentioned that staff from other departments may be deployed if necessary.
Crucially, the Chief Minister emphasized that this is not just a seasonal campaign. She warned that the crackdown would continue throughout the year and that no one—including high-profile branded companies—would be exempt from scrutiny if found guilty of adulteration.
A Pattern of Crackdowns: From Rasgullas to Rotten Khoya
The recent ghee seizure is part of a larger series of operations aimed at cleaning up the city's food supply chain. Previous actions have revealed shocking conditions in various markets:
The Nihal Vihar Operation
In a separate drive, officials raided 13 premises in Nihal Vihar, including sweet shops and unlicensed rasgulla manufacturing units. This operation resulted in the destruction of 402 kg of food items, including:
- 265 kg of rasgulla
- 80 kg of milk cake
- 45 kg of chhena
- 12 kg of grated coconut
To avoid the failure of previous raids—where shopkeepers had shut down their stores on August 26—the department conducted these surprise inspections on a holiday, deploying teams simultaneously across multiple lanes.
The Mori Gate Khoya Mandi Scandal
The Mori Gate Khoya Mandi has been a recurring hotspot for food safety violations. Recently, officials destroyed 520 kg of abandoned, rotten khoya and chhena that were emitting a foul smell. This follows an even larger operation on September 4 during Janmashtami, where approximately 3,050 kg of khoya and paneer were destroyed.
Public Health and Responsibility
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta highlighted the cultural significance of sweets, noting that their purity is a matter of faith and social responsibility.
"Ensuring their purity is not just a legal obligation but a serious responsibility linked to public health. No business operator will be allowed to risk people's health for higher profits,"she stated.
The government has warned that violators will be dealt with strictly under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
How to Report Adulteration
The Delhi government is encouraging citizens to be vigilant. Residents who encounter adulterated food, poor-quality products, or expired items can report them via the Food Safety Department’s helpline at 1800-11-3921 during office hours.