Bombay High Court Urges Maharashtra Govt to Revoke FDA Seal on Wardha’s Goras Bhandar Maharashtra’s government on Friday informed the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court that it is prepared to withdraw the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) sealing order against Wardha’s historic Goras Bhandar, which was shut down last month over alleged unhygienic conditions. During a hearing before a division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode, the state submitted that annual inspections of the institution since 2020 had found no irregularities. The matter will be revisited on July 7. The court was addressing a petition filed by the Wardha Tehsil Cow Milk Producers’ Cooperative Society, represented by senior counsel Firdos Mirza, challenging the FDA’s May 31 sealing order. Acting on directives from FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, officials inspected the premises, sealed the institution, and banned milk collection, sale, and dairy product manufacturing until further notice. During Friday’s proceedings, the government requested the court to set aside the sealing order. The bench, however, rejected the request and orally observed that the state should either withdraw the order and issue an improvement notice to the institution or await the court’s final adjudication. Following this, the government indicated its willingness to revoke the sealing action and issue a corrective notice instead. The hearing also centered on allegations that industrial ice was used in preparing buttermilk at Goras Bhandar. Mirza admitted before the court that industrial ice had been used during the preparation process. The cooperative society argued that the FDA acted without prior notice or an opportunity for the institution to respond.#food_and_drug_administration #bombay_high_court #maharashtra_govt #goras_bhandar #mahatma_gandhi
Goras Bhandar Sealed, Milk Farmers Protest in Wardha Hundreds of milk producers in Wardha staged a protest at the district collectorate after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sealed the premises of Goras Bhandar, a historic dairy cooperative founded in 1931 by Mahatma Gandhi, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, and Jamnalal Bajaj. The FDA conducted a surprise inspection on Sunday and cited unhygienic conditions as the reason for sealing the facility. Authorities also imposed a ban on milk collection, sale, and dairy product manufacturing until further notice. Goras Bhandar plays a vital role in the local economy, collecting and distributing nearly 9,000 liters of milk daily from around 800 cattle rearers across 15 villages. Many of these farmers have supplied milk to the cooperative for generations, relying on it for their livelihoods. The institution not only distributes milk through home delivery and 11 distribution centers but also produces other dairy products, earning the trust of consumers while providing a stable market for milk producers. The sealing of Goras Bhandar has created a crisis for nearly 800 families, with farmers claiming their primary source of income has been disrupted. They demanded that while the production of dairy products be suspended, milk collection and distribution should continue to ensure their livelihoods are not entirely halted. Representatives of Goras Bhandar and the affected farmers submitted their demands to District Collector Vanmathi C, emphasizing the severe impact on the community. Vanmathi C assured the farmers that milk from all suppliers associated with Goras Bhandar would be collected and arranged for distribution to Mother Dairy to prevent waste.#food_and_drug_administration #vanmathi_c #goras_bhandar #mahatma_gandhi #acharya_vinoba_bhave
