On Tuesday, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) announced the suspension of food licenses for 40 dining establishments, including several renowned names such as Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick, due to breaches of food safety regulations. This action followed a week-long inspection initiative that coincided with Food Safety Week.
KMC officials reported that the inspections encompassed a wide range of venues, including restaurants, hotels, food courts within shopping malls, markets, and clubs throughout the city. Inspectors identified significant infractions, including inadequate refrigeration, unsanitary conditions, and poor hygiene practices. Notable findings included the presence of cockroaches and rats in food storage areas, fungal contamination on food items, and rodents in the vicinity, according to officials.
“To date, we have inspected 592 establishments, which includes sweet shops and bakeries. During this process, we collected 161 food samples and issued notices to 112 businesses. The licenses for 40 establishments have been suspended,” stated KMC Administrator Smita Pandey during a press briefing. She also noted that 1,224 kilograms of non-compliant food products were disposed of during the inspection period.
Among the prominent establishments affected are Kareem’s located on Mirza Ghalib Road, Dada Boudi Hotel on Raja Rammohan Sarani, Don Giovannis on Park Street, and Girish Chandra Dey.
“The suspension is not permanent. It will depend on the operators’ actions. They can reapply as soon as they rectify the issues, clean up, and ensure basic hygiene standards are met. Our teams will then conduct a mandatory re-inspection to confirm compliance before they can resume operations,” she explained, noting that enforcement measures apply uniformly to both independent street vendors and large commercial establishments.
This enforcement action aligns with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s strict ‘zero tolerance’ stance against food adulteration and unethical trade practices within the retail and food sectors across the state.
