Restaurants and eateries have got six more months to obtain a food business operator licence. The deadline set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been extended till August 4 from the earlier February 4. The National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) had written to FSSAI to extend it.
Owners had pointed out that the government even after announcing the mandatory permit did not facilitate the on-ground procedures for getting the licence. "The set-up was not ready to process the applications. Everything had to be done manually," said Prakul Kumar, secretary general, NRAI. Online application was allowed only in January, close to the final deadline, he said.
FSSAI is also dealing with a rush of applications. It announced on Tuesday that "due to the unprecedented volume of licensing and registration applications, the functionality of online payment is currently disabled". It also said only demand drafts and challans would be accepted for payment.
"It is not like restaurants would be asked to shut shop immediately. There is a process and usually a warning period of three months is given to the erring person, that can ultimately lead to prosecution," said Kamlesh Barot, former president, Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India.
Several restaurants have also found the process of filling the applications and the requirements to comply to be impractical. "It took us over two days just to fill the form. Most restaurants would find it difficult to comply with these norms," said Virat Chhabra, spokesperson, Mia Bella Gastropub at Delhi's Hauz Khas Village.
While most organised entities have managed to get the licence, it is hawkers and others in the unorganised sector which could be in trouble. The idea behind the guidelines is to ensure hygiene and international standards for food, through specific rules about procurement of material, labelling, advertising, etc.
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- Most owners said the government, even after announcing the mandatory permit, did not facilitate the on-ground procedures to apply for the licence
- The idea behind the guidelines is to ensure hygiene and international standards for food, through specific rules about procurement of food material, labeling, advertising etc
