Tukaram Mundhe effect? Rotten meat, prawns found in raids at Kolkata eateries

Tukaram Mundhe's crackdown on food safety violations has spawned a nationwide wave of enforcement drives. In Bengal, massive raids at popular restaurants have led to the seizure of kilograms of rotten and fungus-infested meat.Over the past three days, there has been a spree of raids at Kolkata eateriesEver since 'IAS Singham' Tukaram Mundhe took charge as the commissioner of Maharashtra's FDA two months ago, newspaper reports of raids on restaurants, eateries and warehouses have become a daily feature. While Mundhe's enforcement drive may be the most visible, it appears to have had a ripple effect in other states like Bengal. Over the past three days, massive raids at popular restaurants and food courts in Kolkata have led to the seizure of kilograms of rotten and fungus-infested meat and stale prawns.The timing has only added to the concern. Durga Puja, Bengal's biggest festival, is barely a month away, when restaurants and eateries typically see a sharp surge in footfall. The development is reminiscent of the 2018 carcass meat scandal, where flesh of dead animals collected from dumping grounds were sold to restaurants in Kolkata and adjoining suburbs. The inspections came Bengal launched a statewide food safety week RAIDS BEFORE DURGA PUJA ADD TO CONCERNThe inspections came as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched a statewide food safety week from September 1-8. Launching the drive at the famous Hogg Market (New Market) area, Adhikari asserted the government's "zero tolerance" towards adulteration.Over the past two days, visuals of cockroaches roaming around kitchens of some of the top restaurants, and rotten meat stored in unhygienic conditions, have splashed across TV screens. Gross irregularities have been found at several sweet shops and bakeries as well. A sweet shop in Hooghly was found using gulaal to colour sweets, according to a report in The Telegraph. Baduria, which was at the centre of the 2018 carcass meat scandal, has once again come under the scanner. Then, several restaurants were shut down as the incident came to light.On Tuesday, 40 kg of rotten chicken and mutton was recovered from a well-known restaurant in Baduria, located in North 24 Parganas - a two-hour journey from Kolkata. The restaurant told officials that the meat had been kept separately to be discarded. The food department, however, was not satisfied with the explanation and served a notice to the restaurant.The inspections have triggered a political blame game in the area. BJP leader Sanjay Ghosh alleged that several hotels and restaurants had been engaging in illegal practices under the previous TMC government, according to a report in Anandabazar Patrika. "The government has changed, but their (TMC) habits have not," Ghosh said.A similar situation emerged during a surprise inspection at Kolkata's Star Mall, which attracts thousands of visitors every day. Rotten meat and packets of expired food items were found at several outlets at its food court. Some outlets allegedly did not have proper licences, while others were found to have unhygienic kitchens.At one well-known restaurant, officials found fungus-infested chicken inside a refrigerator. Some restaurant employees even threw some food items into dustbins as soon as they saw the inspection team arrive. The restaurant's licence was cancelled following the inspection.FOOD INSPECTIONS SPREAD ACROSS BENGALThe inspections have extended beyond Kolkata.In Shaktigarh, widely known for the popular Bengali sweet 'Langcha' (a fried oval-shaped sweet), several ingredients and food products were found unfit for consumption during raids at sweet shops.Lapses in the storage of food and the use of colouring agents were also found across several dhabas in East Midnapore.On Wednesday, a popular Chinese restaurant in Tangra (Kolkata's Chinatown) was ordered to be shut temporarily by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Around 500 kg of stale raw chicken and prawns were seized from the kitchen of Big Boss during the inspection.Located in east Kolkata, Tangra is dotted with small Chinese restaurants that attract a huge crowd for their reasonable Indo-Chinese cuisine. It is where the Chinese community in Kolkata settled in the late 20th century.WHAT IS THE 2018 CARCASS MEAT SCANDAL?The string of seizures has brought back memories of the carcass meat scandal that rocked Kolkata eight years ago.The meat collected from dumpyards was cut and stored in several cold storage facilities in Kolkata. Chemicals like aluminium sulphate and formalin were allegedly used to preserve the rotten meat.The meat was then packed in boxes, with hilsa or prawns placed on top to avoid detection, and transported to several neighbouring states as well. It was also supplied to restaurants in Kolkata and sold as frozen meat at shopping malls.It was suspected that the racket continued for around 10 years. The incident had triggered widespread outrage across West Bengal.Such was the panic that the sale of non-veg food items halved across restaurants in Kolkata. Meat-loving Bengalis strictly stuck to fish and vegetarian items at eateries.The then Bengal government under Mamata Banerjee had to rope in popular faces from the Bengali film industry to urge people not to shun the consumption of meat.Now, with disturbing images emerging from the latest inspections, food safety has once again become a major concern in Bengal just as it prepares to celebrate its biggest festival.- EndsPublished By: Abhishek DePublished On: Sep 3, 2026 11:58 IST