Thanks to the lengthy procedure the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is required to follow before it destroys the seized gutka packets, its officials have been left in the lurch.u00a0It has been learnt that numerous sacks containing gutka packets worth Rs 1 crore are lying at the FDA office in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) since July.u00a0

The officials have written to around 40 wholesalers, from whom the gutka was seized, asking them to pay a destruction fee to the BMC so that its authorities can dispose of the material safely.