Kareem’s has kept its Mirza Ghalib Street outlet shut after receiving the licence suspension notice. picture by Biplab Bhattacharjee
Kolkata: Even as owners and managers of several restaurants that received food licence suspension notices from KMC visited the civic body’s headquarters on Wednesday, seeking clarity on what steps were needed to reopen and how quickly they could resume business, the civic body added around 20 more restaurants and sweet shops to the list of 40 establishments released on Tuesday. KMC issued suspension notices to around 60 establishments, including several prominent restaurants and confectioneries, over alleged violations of food safety norms during a week-long inspection drive. Pandey said civic food inspectors checked 592 restaurants, food joints and confectioneries between Sept 1 and 7 as part of the drive.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in Kolkata Stay updated with the latest Kolkata news.
Food safety officials told the owners of the closed establishments that they must first rectify the deficiencies cited in the notices. “We told them they must address the shortcomings for which we were forced to serve licence suspension notices on them. Once they are done with the corrections, they should approach us,” municipal commissioner Smita Pandey told TOI. If we are satisfied with the changes, we will revoke the suspension notice and allow the establishments to reopen,” Pandey said. KMC officials said the most common violations involved poor hygiene in food and sweet preparation. Many establishments that received suspension notices have stopped serving food but have put up “renovation in progress” signs outside their outlets. They have two weeks’ time to make changes and reopen,” an official said. We have worked as per guidelines of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Act,” a KMC official said.
Among those that have received fresh notices are Roots near Exide crossing, Golden Dragon on Park Street, Chung Wah in Chandni Chowk and New Aliah Hotel on Bentinck Street. With Durga Puja just over a month away, restaurants and sweet shops are worried about losing business during one of their busiest periods. The days leading up to the festival, the Puja days and the days immediately after usually bring brisk sales for such establishments. “We will send an inspection team to review the progress. Other issues included lack of records on disposal of used cooking oil, uncovered food items and food handlers working without headgear or aprons. “The suspension notice does not mean we have permanently shut down the establishments. It is a prod to them to improve the condition of the kitchens, how they store raw materials, especially fish and meat, and what kind of ingredients they use. However, no establishment can reopen without KMC’s approval. Pandey has written to police commissioner Ajay Nand, seeking police assistance to ensure the establishments do not reopen without KMC’s clearance. The police have been given the list of establishments that received suspension notices. “The police must ensure that the establishments do not open. They are the agency responsible for enforcing law and we have informed them. We do not have the authority to force anyone to shut down. Download the TOI App.