Sri Vijaya Puram, October 29: The Andaman and Nicobar Administration has been directed to intensify checks on food adulteration, curb overpricing of festival essentials and ensure medical and firefighting services are prepared for emergencies during Diwali, placing consumer protection and public safety at the centre of the festival arrangements.
Lieutenant Governor Dinesh Sharma issued the directions on 28 October, asking the concerned departments to monitor prices, inspect food products and maintain readiness to respond to fires, burn injuries and other accidents.
The Food Safety Department has been instructed to conduct special inspection drives targeting adulteration in sweets and other food products during the festival. Officials have been directed to take stringent action against those found violating food safety requirements. The instructions place scrutiny of festive food supplies among the key measures intended to protect consumers during a period of increased demand.
The directions also require departments to monitor the prices of firecrackers, earthen lamps, puja materials and other essential commodities. Officials must conduct regular market inspections and surveys, with penalties under applicable rules for traders and shopkeepers found charging more than prescribed rates.
Emergency preparedness forms another part of the administration’s instructions. The Health Department must ensure that medical officers and staff remain available, with the necessary facilities to handle injuries and accidents. The Fire Services Department has been asked to keep personnel and equipment ready to respond promptly to fires and other emergencies.
The directions come with responsibilities spread across departments, requiring market surveillance, food safety enforcement and emergency response to operate alongside one another during the celebrations. The instructions identify the required measures, while their practical impact will depend on the consistency of inspections, enforcement and service readiness.
Sharma has also asked officials to meet shopkeepers and traders’ associations to communicate the applicable requirements on pricing, food safety and public safety. The outreach is intended to make traders aware of the rules they must follow.
The administration’s measures seek to address risks associated with unfair pricing, unsafe food and festival-related accidents. Their effectiveness will depend on whether departments translate the directions into sustained checks, action against violations and timely emergency assistance throughout the celebrations.
