HYDERABAD: At a time when Maharashtra’s food and drug administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has been making headlines for his aggressive crackdown on food safety violations, resulting in hundreds of licence suspensions, FIRs and arrests, Telangana too is planning to ramp up its scrutiny on food quality.To handle cognisable offences, arrests and other criminal proceedings in serious food and drug safety cases, the new Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG-SAFE) is planning to set up an exclusive police station, a facility that could be the first of its kind in the country.
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“Around 80 police personnel are currently on attachment with the department. A committee has been constituted to examine the manpower, legal and other requirements before dedicated posts and a police station are formally created,” said TG-SAFE commissioner Avinash Mohanty. Officials said joint teams would be formed, with food safety officers or drug inspectors retaining the legal authority to lead enforcement operations, while police personnel provide security, manpower and investigation support. Mohanty said police support was a key gap in earlier enforcement.“When the police are involved, it brings additional strength to the team. There can be all kinds of problems and risks during enforcement, so the police component also provides protection. The police also bring intelligence-gathering capabilities and the ability to liaise with local law enforcement,” he added, noting that drug laws allow punishment of up to 10 years and that police would help execute non-bailable warrants (NBWs) and summons across states.City-based food safety expert Anirudh Gupta, founder of FoodSafetyWar, called the proposal “a very positive development for Telangana”. Highlighting that Hyderabad is already witnessing serious and consistent food safety inspections, he added that the gap between identifying violations and taking meaningful action must be bridged. “People involved in deliberate food adulteration, counterfeit products and food fraud must know that they could face criminal investigation and prosecution, rather than just receiving notices and returning to business as usual. With the TG-SAFE, coordination between departments will also increase, and Telangana now has an actual opportunity to set a benchmark for the rest of India,” Gupta added.However, experts cautioned that simply increasing police strength will not be enough. They stressed that personnel must receive specialised training in food safety laws, adulteration detection and evidence collection. “A police officer investigating a food adulteration case must understand what makes a food product unsafe and how to establish a violation scientifically,” said a GHMC food safety officer (FSO).