Archive · 3 Sep 2026
KMC Temporarily Closes Tangra Restaurant After Seizing Stale Meat
Officials inspected a restaurant called Big Boss in Tangra.
They said they found about 500kg of old chicken and prawns in a refrigerated box.
The food was kept in packets that did not show packing or expiry dates.
Some pieces were frozen into hard chunks, which officials said suggested long storage.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation temporarily closed the restaurant and suspended its licence.
Most of the seized food was taken away and buried according to regulations.
A restaurant owner said the business uses large amounts of chicken and fish every day, so it did not need to store food for long.
The inspections were part of a wider food-safety drive in Bengal.
Officials also found other problems, including suspected use of festival colour on sweets.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials seized about 500kg of chicken and prawns from Big Boss in Tangra.
The food was reportedly stored in untagged plastic packets without packaging or expiry dates.
KMC temporarily suspended the restaurant’s licence and sent most seized items for disposal at Dhapa.
A Big Boss owner denied prolonged refrigeration, citing daily consumption of 50–60kg of chicken and 20–30kg of fish.
Statewide inspections also found irregularities, including Holi gulaal allegedly being used to colour sweets in Arambagh.
- Who
- The Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s food safety wing inspected Big Boss, a restaurant in Tangra; the restaurant’s owners disputed the officials’ assessment.
- What
- Officials seized about 500kg of chicken and prawns, took samples for laboratory testing, and temporarily suspended Big Boss’s licence.
- When
- The inspection and temporary closure took place on Wednesday, during a statewide food-safety drive running from September 1 to 8.
- Where
- Big Boss is in Tangra, Kolkata; related inspections took place in several locations in Bengal, including Arambagh, Panagarh, Bhadreswar and Madhyamgram.
- Why
- Officials said the food appeared stale and lacked required packaging and expiry-date tags, amid concerns about adulteration and food-safety violations.
Civic Officials’ Account
Restaurant Owner’s Response
How long the food was stored
Civic Officials’ Account
KMC officials said hard, frozen chunks and the condition of the food suggested that some chicken and prawns had been refrigerated for months.
Restaurant Owner’s Response
A Big Boss owner denied prolonged refrigeration and said the restaurant consumed about 50–60kg of chicken and 20–30kg of fish daily, with higher consumption on weekends.
Food-safety compliance
Civic Officials’ Account
Officials said the food was stored in plastic packets without required packaging and expiry-date tags, violating applicable food-safety standards.
Restaurant Owner’s Response
The owner’s reported response focused on the restaurant’s high daily consumption and disputed the implication that the food had been stored for an extended period.
- Restaurant
- Big Boss, Tangra, Kolkata
- Food seized
- About 500kg of raw chicken and prawns
- Action taken
- Kolkata Municipal Corporation temporarily suspended the restaurant’s licence
- Packaging issue
- Officials said the packets lacked packaging and expiry-date tags
- Disposal
- Most seized items were taken to Dhapa and buried according to regulations
- Possible penalties
- Officials said fines can range from ₹50,000 to ₹3 lakh, with licence suspension possible
- Other finding
- A sweet shop in Arambagh was allegedly using Holi gulaal as artificial food colour