5 hrs ago
Kolkata Crackdown Suspends 40 Eateries, Dividing Owners and Customers
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation inspected hundreds of food businesses before the festive season.
It suspended 40 licences and sent notices to 112 more establishments.
Officials said they found problems such as dirty conditions, missing safety reports and pest infestations.
Some shop owners said they needed more time to fix the problems.
One famous sweets company said a factory named in the list was not connected to its business.
A reporter found that the factory was still making sweets.
Many customers and parents said the closures could help protect people from unsafe food.
Some businesses agreed with the inspections but wanted the rules applied fairly to large and small shops.
They also said businesses should receive guidance and time to improve where possible.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation suspended the licences of 40 establishments after a week-long food safety drive.
The inspections cited problems including poor cleanliness, missing water-test reports, pest-control failures and inadequate records.
Several small and older businesses said they were not given enough time to correct violations before being shut.
Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick denied any connection to the listed manufacturing unit, while operations there reportedly continued.
Customers, parents and some food businesses welcomed the action, but called for consistent enforcement, education and remediation.
- Who
- The Kolkata Municipal Corporation inspected food establishments, while affected shop owners, customers and nearby residents responded.
- What
- The civic body suspended 40 licences and issued notices to 112 establishments over alleged food safety violations.
- Where
- The establishments were located across Kolkata, including areas such as Dhapa, Ballygunge, Park Street, Tollygunge and New Alipore.
- When
- The action followed a week-long drive ahead of the festive season; inspections mentioned in the reports occurred in August and September.
- Why
- Officials cited alleged violations including unhygienic conditions, missing water-test reports, pest-control failures, inadequate records and other food-safety shortcomings.
Public Health and Enforcement
Fair Treatment and Remediation
Need for immediate closures
Public Health and Enforcement
Customers, school parents and some businesses said suspensions were necessary to prevent people from being exposed to unhygienic food.
Fair Treatment and Remediation
Several owners said sudden closures harmed small businesses and workers, particularly at the start of the festive season.
Time to correct violations
Public Health and Enforcement
The civic action was viewed as necessary because inspections found problems such as missing reports, rat infestation and unsafe storage practices.
Fair Treatment and Remediation
Owners of Matri Misthana Bhandar and New Poushee Sweets said they had been told to make corrections but were shut before receiving another opportunity to comply.
Scope of enforcement
Public Health and Enforcement
Some respondents argued that food-safety action should make all businesses, including prominent outlets, more accountable.
Fair Treatment and Remediation
Owners and industry representatives called for fair treatment across large and small establishments, along with education, remediation, capacity building and public awareness.
Key facts
- Suspended establishments
- 40
- Establishments issued notices
- 112
- Establishments inspected
- 529 during the week-long drive
- Actioning authority
- Kolkata Municipal Corporation
- Common cited violations
- Unhygienic processing, missing water-test reports, pest-control problems and incomplete food-safety records
- Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick position
- The company said the listed B.L. Saha Road unit had no connection with it
- Reported noncompliance
- Mahaprabhu Mishtanno Bhandar was found open despite its suspension order
Quotes
Manas Misra
Owner’s son-in-law at Matri Misthana Bhandar
“Ours is a very small and very old sweet shop… Naturally, its walls look old. Now, before we could work upon their instructions, we got a message that our license has been suspended. We have 4-5 labourers who work here on a daily basis. We can’t keep them engaged without any sales and have to let them go.”
indianexpress.com
Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick
Legacy sweet brand issuing an official statement
“The address and outlet…have no relation whatsoever with the original Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick.The said establishment is not owned, operated, managed or controlled by us.”
indianexpress.com
A school parent
Parent of a South Point School student
“It has just been a month and a half since this shop opened. It is good that this action has been taken; we don’t want children to get exposed to such unhygienic food.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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