Food licences of 40 Kolkata eateries suspended for safety violations ahead of Durga Puja

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) suspended the food licences of 40 establishments, including several well-known restaurants and sweet shops, following a week-long drive that uncovered safety and hygiene violations, officials said on Tuesday.

The drive, ahead of the festive season, covered restaurants, hotels, food courts in shopping malls, markets and clubs across the city, with officials finding rotten and contaminated food, fungal growth and unhygienic storage conditions, among other violations, they said.

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KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey said the civic body has so far inspected 592 establishments, including sweet shops and bakeries.

"As part of the inspections, 161 food samples were collected, and notices were issued to 112 entities. The licences of 40 establishments have been suspended," she said.

Pandey said 1,224 kg of non-conforming food items were destroyed during the drive.

She said poor hygiene was the major issue detected during the inspections, with several of the establishments facing action being sweet shops.

Cockroaches and rat infestations in places used for storing food were found, besides rotten food and fungal growth in food items, officials said, adding that in one instance, traces of wall paint mixed with biryani were found.

The inspections also found use of substandard spices and prohibited colours in food items, officials said.

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The licence suspension is temporary and, according to Pandey, has initially been imposed for two weeks.

"The affected establishments will have to undertake corrective measures, respond to the civic authorities and ensure compliance with prescribed food safety and hygiene standards. The civic law does not have a provision for direct cancellation of licences," she said.

The crackdown came days after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a zero-tolerance policy against fraudulent practices, including use of harmful colours in vegetables and fish.

During the drive, civic officials seized around 500 kg of fish and meat allegedly stored in unhygienic conditions at a popular restaurant in Tangra's Chinatown area.

Such a drive were also conducted in other parts of the state, including Madhyamgram and Salt Lake in North 24 Parganas, Shaktigarh in Purba Bardhaman, Digha in Purba Medinipur and Lataguri in Jalpaiguri.