FDA officials extorting lakhs from eateries, quick-commerce firms, alleges Raut; seeks probe

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday accused Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials of indulging in extortion and threatening hotels and quick-commerce businesses with licence suspensions, and demanded an independent inquiry against them.

In a letter to FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the agency's crackdowns have turned its headquarters in Bandra and Thane office into extortion hubs, where officials bypass mandatory legal notices to extract lakhs from frightened business operators.

He wrote that several business operators from Nagpur, Pune, Solapur, Wardha and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar had approached him with accounts of alleged extortion through "closing notices".


Raut said that certain officials were taking advantage of the FDA's aggressive campaign of inspections and raids.

"Designated officers (DOs), assistant commissioners and food safety officers (FSOs) are allegedly openly threatening hotels and quick-commerce businesses with suspension of their licences and are engaging in widespread extortion," he said.

Citing various instances, the Sena (UBT) leader claimed that a pair of DOs in Thane collected Rs 17-18 lakh from a quick-commerce company to restore a suspended licence, while in another case, a hotel's licence was suspended based on a social media post about a rat, even though officials allegedly did not actually find any rodent during their inspection.

He said that most raids are reportedly initiated through customer complaints, and there is no independent verification of whether such complaints are genuine or fabricated.

Raut demanded that Mundhe immediately initiate an independent inquiry into the "closing notice rate cards" operating in Bandra, Thane and other divisions, as well as cases involving the restoration of suspended licences.

He claimed that before Mundhe became the FDA Commissioner, the going rate for a closing notice was Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000, but after the IAS officer created an atmosphere of fear, it has increased to Rs 75,000-Rs 2 lakh.

He also demanded immediate disciplinary action against officials who bypass the legally prescribed "notice-hearing-suspension" procedure.

The Opposition party leader also stated that the FDA should make public the reasons, dates and summary of hearings for every licence suspension and subsequent reinstatement.

"You (Mundhe) say that the system is improving. But if there is no control over your own officers, this improvement remains incomplete. FDA officials are now, according to the language being used by a large section of entrepreneurs, not merely demanding money but engaging in what is being described as outright looting. You cannot afford to ignore this," he wrote.