Sweets and paneer washed in dirty water sold to devotees

Vendors at the Maha Kumbha Mela risking devotees’ health
Food and Drug Administration turns blind eye
Strict action and expulsion of the guilty vendors are necessary – Sunil Ghanwat, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti

Prayagraj – Sunil Ghanwat, the Convener of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti for Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh States, discovered that 3-4 vendors in Prayagraj were washing paneer and sweets in dirty water and selling them to devotees. He immediately stopped the sale of these sweets and made the vendors aware of their wrongdoing. Furthermore, he urged the Food and Drug Administration to take strict action by penalizing or expelling such vendors from the Mela while speaking to a representative of the daily newspaper ‘Sanatan Prabhat.’

🚨Shocking!

Sweets and paneer washed in dirty water sold to devotees at the #MahaKumbh2025

Vendors at the Mahakumbh Mela risking devotees’ health while authorities turn a blind eye

Strict action and expulsion of the guilty vendors are necessary – @SG_HJS, @HinduJagrutiOrg… pic.twitter.com/pcuKcxB4E3

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) January 20, 2025

Mr Sunil Ghanwat stated,

1. Such incidents at the Prayagraj Maha Kumbha Mela are extremely serious, as they can affect the health of millions of devotees. Selling sweets washed in dirty water is not only unethical but also hazardous to health.

2. The Food and Drug Administration must conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of food sold at all eateries and stalls at the Maha Kumbha Mela. Food and water samples should be tested frequently.

3. Only registered and certified vendors should be permitted to sell food items at the Mela. Unauthorised vendors should be immediately prohibited. Devotees should also be made aware of necessary precautions while purchasing food items.

4. Any such incidents should be promptly reported to the administration, and immediate action should be taken to protect the health of devotees by the authorities. Additionally, strict regulations should be enforced to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Editorial Perspective

While such incidents are taking place at the Maha Kumbha Mela, what are the officials and staff of the Food and Drug Administration doing ? How are they unaware of such practices ? It is their duty to periodically inspect the food items sold by vendors. The public believes that such negligence should not be allowed to continue.