Patna: The state food safety department on Wednesday seized 15,340 litres of packaged drinking water worth over Rs 3.07 lakh from five establishments in Patna for alleged violations of food safety norms.The inspections found units allegedly operating without valid food licences and using labels of established brands. The crackdown came after inspections of restaurants, bakeries and confectionery manufacturing units earlier this week.The drive was conducted in Sampatchak, Sonagopalpur, Gaurichak and adjoining areas on the directions of food safety commissioner Kumar Ravi. The food safety wing of the health department ordered the closure of unlicensed units and collected legal samples for laboratory testing.At a unit in Sonagopalpur, officials seized 6,960 litres of packaged drinking water worth Rs 1.28 lakh after finding that it was operating without a valid food licence. The unit was ordered to stop operations and a legal sample was collected for testing.At another unit in Ramnagar, Gaurichak, officials seized 1,694 litres of water valued at Rs 33,880. Two legal samples were collected for laboratory examination and manufacturing operations were stopped.At a unit in Sampatchak, officials found water being packaged under labels of different brands. The unit was also allegedly operating without a valid food licence. Officials recorded 1,656 litres of water worth Rs 33,120.At another unit in Sampatchak, officials found water being manually filled into bottles bearing a brand label carrying a different address. A total of 4,190 litres of water valued at Rs 95,880 was recorded during the inspection.At a residence in Sonagopalpur, officials found packaged drinking water being handled without a valid food licence. They recorded 840 litres of water, comprising 240 one-litre bottles and 1,200 half-litre bottles.The department said the drive was part of its efforts to ensure compliance with food safety standards and licensing requirements. Consumers were advised to check the manufacturer’s name, food safety licence number and packaging details before buying packaged drinking water.
