GHMC food inspectors turn blind eye to food safety in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Highlighting the lackadaisical approach to people’s health in a city crowded with tens and thousands of eateries, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) food inspectors have sent just an average of seven food samples per day for testing and analysis in 2023.

The Hyderabad civic body has 23 dedicated food inspectors, but they sent a mere 2,534 food samples that were submitted for testing during the entire year — averaging to 110 food samples per food inspector in 2023.

Responding to the allegations of Congress corporators accusing GHMC food safety officials of turning a blind eye to rampant food adulteration within the city, Mayor G. Vijayalakshmi issued warnings to food inspectors, urging them to conduct regular inspections of hotels and eateries and submit weekly reports. However, these directives have largely gone unheeded.

Adding to the concerns, it has come to light that the GHMC's food safety wing includes retired officers who continue to hold positions of authority. Under the previous BRS government, a retired officer Sudarshan Reddy was entrusted with overseeing key locations in the city due to his familial connections with a top BRS leader and former minister of the day. Presently, he oversees operations in the central area of Hyderabad.

According to GHMC records, a total of 14,889 inspections were conducted in 2023, resulting in 3,962 rectification notices being issued. However, only 2,322 food samples were sent for testing, of which a mere 311 were flagged for violations. Among these violations, 34 were deemed unsafe, 12 were misbranded, and 265 were deemed substandard.

The number of violations compared to the complaints raised on My GHMC App and on Twitter are very low with people alleging that Hyderabad lacks a mechanism to inspect food adulteration. Surprisingly, the GHMC has also removed all the phone numbers of its food inspector from its website.

FOOD INSPECTIONS IN 2023

Number of inspections done : 14,889

Number of rectification notices issued : 3,803

Number of food samples sent for testing : 2,534

Number of samples where violations were reported : 311

Sub standard : 265

Samples found unsafe : 34

Misbranded : 12