Nashik: The food and drug administration (FDA) officials on Monday seized paan masala and scented tobacco worth Rs 40 lakh from a truck near Maldhakka Road on Monday.
Stating that the confiscated products will be destroyed on Wednesday, the officials said they would continue to work on inputs of smuggling of these products from other states where its production not banned.
Joint commissioner of FDA (Food) Uday Vanjari got a tip off on Monday that a huge consignment of banned products was going to arrive in Nashik. Accordingly, a trap was laid and a truck carrying the consignment was intercepted.
Food safety officer Vivek Patil said the consignment belonged to Ramvilas Lohia of the Nashik Road area. Last year as well the FDA had seized banned products worth Rs 3 lakh that were to be delivered to him.
Uday Vanjari said these products arrive from various states such as Gujarat and Karanataka. "While paan masala and scented tobaccos are banned in Maharashtra, it is not the case in other states following which we cannot target the manufacturing units," he said.
"These products have standards of manufacturing under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), due to which we cannot take action against such products," he added.
In Nashik, the FDA officials rely only on intelligence considering they do not have check posts. Meanwhile, the officials involved in the raid included Vanjari, Patil, assistant commissioner YK Bendkule, DK Sonawane, among others.
Officials said they were continuously taking action against people who were into the business of such products. However, paan masala and scented tobacco was still sold in various parts of the city and the district secretly.
The FDA officials appealed to the people to contact them if they come across someone who are involved into the sale of paan masala and scented tobacco. In the past, the FDA officials have also conducted various raids and seized gutkha products from across the district.
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