A special campaign to curb the sale of adulterated food products has been launched in the district under the directives of Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate Aditya Ranjan.
As part of this initiative, a team led by Food Safety Officer Dr. Raja Kumar—acting on the instructions of Civil Surgeon Dr. Alok Vishwakarma—conducted surprise raids on various food establishments across Dhanbad city today.
During the operation, samples of *paneer* (cottage cheese) were collected from several shops and sent to the State Food Laboratory in Ranchi for chemical analysis. Products found to be suspicious during the preliminary inspection were seized on the spot.
When the inspection team arrived at Gautam Dairy in Steel Gate, the operator fled the premises, abandoning the shop. The establishment’s FSSAI license was also found to be expired (invalid) during the inspection. Authorities seized 48 kg of suspicious *paneer*, along with 2 kg of *ghee* and *khoya* (condensed milk solids), from the shop.
Due to the discovery of a large quantity of adulterated food items and the operator’s flight, the shop was sealed with immediate effect. Meanwhile, 10 kg of suspicious *paneer* was seized from Rakesh Dairy, located near the Police Lines.
Additionally, the team collected samples from other establishments. These included ‘Roof 709’ and Nirmal Sweets in Saraidhela, Ramesh Dairy, and Ganga Dairy in Bartand, where samples of *paneer*, *ghee*, *khoya*, and sweets were obtained.
Food items that failed on-the-spot inspections were also seized. The Deputy Commissioner has clarified that this inspection drive will continue across the district to ensure the availability of pure, hygienic, and safe food products for the public.
Strict legal action will be taken against adulterators and those operating food businesses without a valid license. Food Safety Officer Dr. Raja Kumar was accompanied in the campaign by newly appointed Food Safety Officers Chandan Sao, Chandradev Ganjhu, Jasmine Kerketta, and Naina Nayak, along with departmental staff Rahul Kumar Paswan, Rahul Kumar, Amit Kumar, and Shubham Kumar.
