Ahmedabad Municipal Budget Meeting Halts Food Safety Inspections
In a surprising turn of events, the discussion of the 2026-27 municipal budget in Ahmedabad led to a temporary suspension of the city's food inspection operations. The entire food safety machinery was redirected from its critical duties to manage refreshments for councillors, raising concerns about public health oversight.
Food Inspectors Reassigned to Snack Duty
On Thursday, as the two-day general board meeting of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) commenced, a significant shift occurred. All 15 food inspectors, along with three other health department employees, were pulled from their regular assignments. Instead of conducting hygiene and food safety checks across the city, they were tasked with supervising the serving of tea, coffee, biscuits, sing-chana, and chocolates to 192 councillors.
From 9 a.m. until the meeting concluded around 10 p.m., these inspectors were stationed floorwise at the AMC headquarters. Their primary responsibility was to ensure that the refreshments met quality standards, while food inspections in Ahmedabad's 480 square kilometers and 48 wards came to a complete halt.
Staffing Shortages and Increased Workload
The irony of this situation is compounded by existing staffing gaps. Ahmedabad currently has only 15 working food inspectors, which is insufficient to cover the city's vast area and numerous wards. On a typical day, these inspectors are responsible for:
- Inspecting hotels, restaurants, and food units
- Collecting food samples for testing
- Processing licences for food establishments
- Responding to public complaints about food quality
Nearly a year ago, the AMC announced plans to recruit 45 additional food inspectors to alleviate this burden. However, the hiring process is still ongoing, leaving the current team overworked and stretched thin.
External Agency and Official Oversight
An external agency had already been contracted to supply and serve the refreshments during the meeting. Despite this, the AMC deemed it necessary to deploy official food inspectors for oversight. This decision has sparked questions about resource allocation and priorities within the municipal administration.
As food establishments across Ahmedabad continued their operations without inspection, a senior AMC official noted the potential consequences. "It remains unclear who is available to respond to public complaints about food quality on Thursday and Friday," the official stated, highlighting the gap in public health monitoring during this period.
This incident underscores the challenges faced by urban food safety systems, particularly in cities with limited resources. The temporary diversion of inspectors from their core duties to cater to councillors' needs has drawn attention to the need for better staffing and more efficient management of municipal responsibilities.
