Mathura: The Food Safety Department team late at night seized 25 quintals of suspected paneer from a Bolero pickup vehicle coming from Rajasthan to Mathura. The department collected two samples of the paneer, which was found to be of suspicious quality and unhygienic condition, and sent them to the Government Food Laboratory for testing. Meanwhile, paneer worth approximately 5.05 lakh was destroyed on the spot in the public interest.
Midnight Inspection Conducted Near Bathain Gate Police Post
Acting on the orders of the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, and the District Magistrate of Mathura, the Food Safety Department team conducted the operation under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner of Food Dr. Jatin Kumar Singh at around 1:30 AM on Friday night. Accompanied by the mobile food squad and police personnel, the team intercepted a Bolero pickup vehicle (UP 85 CT 4449) coming from the Kaman region of Rajasthan near Bathain Gate Police Post on National Highway-19. The area falls under Kosi Kalan Police Station and Chhata Tehsil.
Driver Claims Paneer Was Transported for Commercial Sale
The vehicle driver, Salim, son of Ismail, informed the team that approximately 2,500 kilograms of paneer was being transported for sale from a paneer manufacturing dairy located in Kaman, Rajasthan. The estimated value of the consignment was stated to be ₹5.05 lakh. During the inspection, the trader failed to produce any documents related to the purchase and sale of the paneer. Additionally, the quality of the paneer was found to be suspicious.
Samples Sent for Laboratory Testing, Paneer Destroyed
The Food Safety Department team collected two samples of the paneer and sent them to the Government Food Laboratory for testing. Considering the paneer unhygienic, contaminated and suspicious, the entire consignment was immediately destroyed in the public interest. According to departmental officials, further legal action will be initiated against the concerned trader in accordance with the rules after receiving the laboratory test report. Food Safety Officers Dinesh Bharti, Dharmendra Singh and Jitendra Singh were present during the operation.
