Regulatory grey zone exposed: FDAsays canned water not under its control

Nagpur: Days after the state-level directive to crack down on illegal water plants, a crucial coordination meeting at the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) headquarters exposed a glaring regulatory vacuum in the city's booming canned water business.The meeting, chaired by additional municipal commissioner Vasumana Pant, was attended by officials of the food and drug administration (FDA) and NMC's water works dept, led by superintending engineer Shweta Banerjee. What emerged was a startling clarification: the FDA made it clear that only packaged drinking water — typically sealed bottled water — falls under its legal jurisdiction. Bulk ‘canned water' supplied in 20-litre jars does not, leaving enforcement agencies in a bind.
FDA officials reportedly stated that there are no specific provisions empowering them to initiate action against canned water plants, even if concerns are raised about quality. The admission intensified concerns, especially since a majority of these plants operate in loosely regulated zones, many along the polluted Nag and Pili river belts, drawing groundwater through borewells.North Nagpur MLA Nitin Raut recently stirred a policy-level debate by raising serious concerns over the unchecked proliferation of canned water plants in Nagpur, alleging that thousands of citizens may be consuming water of questionable quality. Flagging the issue at the Mantralaya, he questioned the lack of regulatory clarity and demanded strict action against illegal units operating without proper licences or quality checks. Citing Articles 21 and 47 of Constitution, Raut asserted that access to clean drinking water is a fundamental right and warned that failure to act against errant operators would amount to compromising public health.Following this, a high-level meeting chaired by Maharashtra minister Narhari Zirwal directed the NMC to survey all unlicensed water plants within 15 days and submit a report, besides framing and strictly enforcing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for water purification, packaging and distribution.With regulatory responsibility now shifting squarely to the civic body, Pant told TOI that NMC will prepare a comprehensive SOP to plug loopholes and strengthen monitoring. "We will try to identify gaps and frame stricter norms to ensure that canned water supplied in the city is safe for drinking," she said.Sources revealed that the water works dept earlier drafted certain guidelines, but these lacked statutory backing and enforcement teeth. The fresh SOP is expected to define water source verification, purification standards, lab testing protocols, and penalties for violations.The episode laid bare a dangerous grey zone — where thousands consume jar water daily, but no single authority owns full accountability. The coming weeks will test whether NMC can convert intent into enforceable safeguards.