Goa civic body bans sale of 'gobi manchurian' at street stalls over concerns about hygiene

Panaji: A civic body in North Goa has banned the sale of the popular street food 'gobi manchurian' at roadside stalls in its jurisdiction after concerns were raised about the unhygienic conditions in which the dish was prepared, an official said on Tuesday.

The municipal council of Mapusa town passed a resolution last week banning the dish from being sold by street food vendors, MMC chairperson Priya Mishal said.

"Vendors operate in unhygienic conditions and use synthetic colours to prepare 'gobi manchurian'," Mishal said.

Councillor Tarak Arolkar raised the issue and suggested that stalls selling 'gobi manchurian' not be permitted during the annual fair of Shree Bodgeshwar Temple, she said.

The council unanimously passed a resolution to not permit the sale of the dish at the temple fair and later extended the ban to all roadside stalls in the MMC jurisdiction, the chairperson said.

This, however, is not the first time the dish has been red-flagged.

In 2022, the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) issued a circular to the Mormugao Municipal Council in South Goa to restrict the number of stalls selling 'gobi manchurian' during the fair of Shree Damodar Temple in Vasco.

While FDA director Jyoti Sardesai was unavailable for a comment, a senior FDA official said 'gobi manchurian' sellers use a sub-standard sauce made of a powder that contains extracts of 'reetha' (Indian soapberry).

'Reetha' is used for washing clothes, the official said.