By Bureau Correspondent | Tripura 24.in
AGARTALA | May 27, 2026
AGARTALA: In a proactive move to eliminate foodborne health hazards and guarantee strict compliance with public health standards, the State Food Safety Department launched a series of comprehensive surprise inspection raids across various restaurants, sweet shops, and fast-food eateries in Agartala today.
The enforcement drive was led directly by the department’s Designated Officer, Dr. Amartya Debnath, alongside a specialized team of food safety inspectors and civic enforcement personnel.
During the extensive drive, the officials thoroughly inspected kitchen premises, storage units, and manufacturing sections of several prominent food establishments to evaluate culinary hygiene, ingredient quality, and overall environmental cleanliness.
A Field Crackdown on Food Contamination
The department’s technical evaluation focused heavily on the immediate elimination of adulterants, substandard coloring agents, and unhygienic food preservation models that pose direct risks to public health.
Key Structural Checkpoints Inspected During the Raids:
- Hygiene & Sanitation Mapping: Verifying if kitchen staff strictly adhere to mandatory hygiene protocols, including wearing hairnets, gloves, and maintaining sterilized food-handling surfaces.
- Raw Material Quality Assurances: Inspecting expiration logs on packaged raw materials, dairy yields, and testing cooking oil quality to prevent the dangerous reuse of burnt commercial oils.
- Storage and Refrigeration Norms: Assessing if non-vegetarian items, fresh produce, and cooked meals are being stored separately at correct thermodynamic temperatures to avoid cross-contamination.
“Public Health is Non-Negotiable; Violators Will Face Strict Penalties”: Dr. Amartya Debnath
Briefing journalists on the ground during the mid-day inspection drive at a commercial market sector, Designated Officer Dr. Amartya Debnath made it clear that commercial establishments cannot maximize profits at the expense of consumer safety.
”Our message to the business community is transparent and absolute: the food served to the citizens of Agartala must be completely safe, clean, and healthy. We are not here to disrupt local businesses, but we will have zero tolerance for unhygienic kitchens, rotten raw ingredients, or the illegal use of chemical food colorings.
During today’s drive, we issued strict rectification warnings to several shop owners, directing them to immediately align their storage models with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines. If these flaws are not fixed within the stipulated timeframe, the department will not hesitate to suspend operating licenses and seal the premises. These enforcement checks are not a one-time event; they will continue systematically across all markets to safeguard public health,” Food Safety Designated Officer Dr. Amartya Debnath stated to the press.
The department concluded the day-long drive by distributing informational flyers to street food vendors and small-scale hoteliers, outlining standard protocols for safe drinking water usage and proper waste disposal channels.
