Maharashtra FDA chief asks for evidence of corruption from Sanjay Raut!

Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Tuesday responded to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on allegations of extortion in the regulatory body. He said these claims are common. There is a lack of concrete information and his office has not yet received any formal letter in this regard.

The reply came after Raut's letter in which he alleged that FDA field officers were taking advantage of Commissioner Mundhe's strict action campaign to blackmail local businesses, hotel owners and quick-commerce operators.

Responding to these allegations made public, Mundhe clarified that his office has not received any official copy of Raut's letter. He got information about this matter only from media reports.

Mundhe urged the MLA or any affected business owner to provide verifiable facts rather than general statements.

He said, “I am really grateful to him (Sanjay Raut). My only request to him is that if he has specific details, he should share them with me or with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), whichever agency he trusts. If any of my officers is involved in corruption, please bring it to my notice with full information.”

Addressing concerns that small and medium-scale hotel owners fear reprisals or further harassment if they report corrupt officials, Mundhe assured stakeholders that identities are kept confidential. He said the official FDA complaint portal automatically masks the identity of the complainant, and promised that any information given directly to him would remain strictly confidential.

Earlier, in his letter to Mundhe, Raut had lauded the commissioner for initiating comprehensive action against food adulteration and unhygienic conditions of restaurants since he took charge on May 25. However, he alleged that these enforcement actions also had a negative side to them.

According to Raut, designated officers (DOs), assistant commissioners and food safety officers (FSOs) are threatening hotels, restaurants and warehouse operators with immediate license suspension for extorting huge amounts.

The rate for disposal or closure of inspection notices has reportedly increased from Rs 10,000-12,000 before Mundhe's tenure to Rs 75,000-2,00,000 after the widespread panic created by the recent enforcement raids.

Raut identified the FDA headquarters in Bandra (Mumbai) and the regional FDA office in Thane as the main centers of the illegal recovery operation. He alleged that two designated officers in Thane demanded Rs 17-18 lakh from a quick-commerce company to reinstate its suspended license.

Raut argued that officials were ignoring necessary legal procedures, such as issuing notices for rectification, giving time to comply with rules and holding formal hearings, to impose immediate suspensions on the basis of complaints without investigation.