FDA declines PMCs request to make NOC compulsory for food vendors

Faced with losses over the food vendors’ unpaid water bills and illegal water connections, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) wrote to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make it mandatory for these vendors to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the civic body. However, the FDA declined the PMC’s request saying that the issue is outside its purview and that the authority to make any such provision for license lies with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

While the PMC water supply department provides ‘commercial’ water connections to food vendors, hotels and restaurants in the city, many food vendors do not pay the water bills for years on end while many others survive on illegal water connections, leading to losses for the PMC. The PMC wrote to the FDA on June 15 with a view to curbing all such losses. “The request to make the NOC from the PMC water supply department mandatory for food vendors was for both new licenses and renewal of licenses. However, the FDA officials claim it is outside their sphere of influence,” a PMC official said.

Arjun Bhujbal, joint commissioner of the FDA, Pune region, informed that food licenses are issued by the FSSAI. “The entire process of licenses is currently online and licenses are given by the FSSAI. The state FDA has no powers to make amendments in the Food and Safety Standards Act 2006. Due to this, we cannot make a NOC from the water department of a local body mandatory for a fresh license or renewal of license,” Bhujbal said.

Bhujbal further informed that the category of food licenses for food vendors depends on the annual turnover of food vendors. Vendors with an annual turnover of less than Rs12 lakhs get registered with the FSSAI for their food business and those with an annual turnover of more than Rs12 lakhs are issued food licenses.