The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday collected the samples of food from the canteen of an MLAs' hostel here and sent them for testing, a day after Shiv Sena legislator Sanjay Gaikwad assaulted its staffer for allegedly serving stale food to him.
Gaikwad, who represents the Buldhana assembly constituency, sparked a controversy after a video of him slapping a canteen worker went viral on social media.
The MLA claimed the food served to him was stale, and said his repeated complaints to the authorities had gone unheeded.
As the monsoon session of the state legislature is underway in the metropolis, Gaikwad is currently staying in the Akashwani MLAs' hostel in Churchgate area of south Mumbai, where the incident took place on Tuesday night.
Although Gaikwad's act drew condemnation from various quarters, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, legislators across the party lines supported him for his concerns over the quality of food served at the hostel canteen.
In the wake of the row over the incident, FDA officials arrived at the hostel on Wednesday afternoon and sealed food samples, which have now been sent to the department's laboratory in Bandra for testing.
"The food samples collected from the canteen have been sent for analysis. As per the procedure, the report is expected within 16 days and will determine the further action," a source close to FDA minister Narhari Zirwal said.
Gaikwad also raised questions about the same contractor being allowed to run the canteen for nearly 30 years despite multiple complaints over food quality. -- PTI