‎Srinagar, Sep 30 (KNS) : As many as 2,733 food-safety cases are pending across Jammu and Kashmir, even as enforcement agencies filed 1,211 cases during 2025-26 against violations involving food adulteration, unsafe and substandard food, according to data tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
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‎The figures, provided by the Health and Medical Education Department in response to a question by Patten MLA Javid Riyaz, show that 1,721 cases were decided during the year, including cases carried forward from previous financial years, while fines totalling ?1.70 crore were imposed.
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‎The department said the cases included violations relating to the sale and supply of unsafe or substandard food, with the action taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and rules and regulations framed under it.
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‎Of the 1,211 cases filed across J&K in 2025-26, 485 were registered in Kashmir division.
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‎The department said 1,188 cases were decided in Kashmir, including cases carried forward from previous years, and fines of ?1.24 crore were imposed. However, 1,021 cases remained pending in the division.
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‎The district-wise enforcement data shows the scale of inspections behind the cases. Across J&K, authorities conducted 21,120 inspections, collected 7,001 enforcement samples and 3,443 surveillance samples during 2025-26.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelA total of 690 samples were found non-conforming, with 1,211 cases filed.
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‎The department separately recorded 154 cases relating to meat and meat products in Kashmir division during 2025-26.
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‎Of these, 120 cases were decided, while 34 remained pending, and fines amounting to ?30.12 lakh were imposed.
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‎The department's latest district-wise statement records 9,345 inspections, 4,994 enforcement samples and 2,415 surveillance samples during the period covered. Of the samples examined, 359 were recorded as non-conforming.
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‎The department said 309 cases had been filed and 475 decided, while ?63.24 lakh in fines had been imposed. The number of pending cases in the statement stood at 2,569.
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‎The department also recorded seizures, improvement notices, samples lifted, cases filed and penalties as part of the drive. The action included cases involving suspected rotten meat, with the district-wise table documenting seizures and fines imposed in individual cases.
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‎The data places the enforcement problem in sharper perspective: more than 21,000 food-safety inspections were carried out in 2025-26, yet 2,733 cases remained pending, while the department has already conducted another 9,345 inspections in the current financial year.(KNS)