LUCKNOW, Feb. 16 -- The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has suspended the licences of 110 packaged drinking water brands across Uttar Pradesh after laboratory tests declared them unsafe for human consumption, officials said on Sunday. Around 112 samples were collected in a drive over the past two months.

The action follows a large-scale statewide drive ordered by FSDA commissioner Roshan Jacob amid rising complaints about adulterated and substandard bottled water being sold by local manufacturers.

According to officials, samples collected from multiple districts failed to meet prescribed quality standards. Of the total samples tested, 86 were examined in state laboratories while 26 were sent to a central laboratory for confir...