Ahmedabad Tightens Food Checks, Water Rules and Diwali Lighting

Ahmedabad, October 29: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has announced a series of decisions ahead of Diwali, covering food safety, water conservation, workplace safety, child-friendly facilities and public lighting.

Food safety comes first. Businesses selling sweets, khoya (mawa) and farsan with an annual turnover above Rs 5 lakh must now keep rapid test kits to check food products. The kits, costing around Rs 3,000, are designed to detect starch adulteration in khoya during preliminary testing.

The decision, taken after the weekly meeting of the civic body, was announced on Thursday by Standing Committee chairman Kamlesh Patel. He said the health department will ensure that traders keep the kits available and use them.

The move follows the recent sale of fake and non-edible products sold in the name of khoya. About 350 people have already bought such kits, and ordinary consumers may also use them for basic checks on starch in food.

Water conservation is the second focus. The AMC will step up inspection drives to stop water wastage and detect illegal water connections. High-consumption establishments, including car washing centres, paying guest accommodations, lodges and boarding houses, will be checked. Illegal connections found will be disconnected as per rules, and action will be taken against those responsible.

Safety is also under scrutiny. Two incidents in Ahmedabad over the last 15 days, one involving a sewage treatment plant (STP), will be investigated. The probe will assess whether necessary safety equipment was available and whether safety standards were followed. Patel said supervising officials will be held accountable along with contractors.

For families, the AMC has approved the modernisation and expansion of Kids City at Kankaria Lakefront. New features will include a chocolate factory, a space exploration centre, a Khelo India sports academy, a renewable energy technology centre, an aerodynamics and flight science lab and a drone lab centre.

Finally, the corporation has scaled back public lighting this Diwali to conserve power. From Dhanteras to Labh Pancham, lights will be installed at only seven locations, including six bridges over the Sabarmati river and the Bhadrakali Mata Temple. Traffic circles, underpasses and government buildings, which were lit in earlier years, will not receive the same lighting.

The lighting window has also changed, from 7 pm to 7 am to 7 pm to 1 am. The lights will stay on throughout the night on Diwali and Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas).