Can't pick and choose eateries to maintain hygiene: HC to govt

Hygiene and safety standards have to be maintained across all eating joints in the city and the Food Safety department cannot just pick and choose restaurants or other eating joints to implement this, the Delhi High Court said today.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva made the observation while ordering withdrawal of notices issued against Kake da Hotel, a popular eating joint in the heart of the capital, over alleged lack of hygiene and safety standards.

A controversy had recently erupted due to a video allegedly showing dough being kneaded by foot atop the hotel in Connaught Place.

"You cannot pick and choose between restaurants. You have to ensure that same standards are maintained everywhere," the court told the Food Safety department of Delhi government.
 

The eatery said it has complied with all requirements, barring two deficiencies of lack of non-hand operated taps and a chimney, which it said would be rectified within a week.

The submission was endorsed by the Food Safety department which said that the eating joint was now "one of the most hygienic places" in the city.

The department also assured the court that it would inspect all eateries and restaurants and action would be taken against those not complying with the mandatory safety and hygenic standard requirements.

In response, the court said if the department actually inspected and took action, like it did in the instant case, then it expected to see hundreds of petitions before it soon.

The department had issued a notice on February 22 for emergency prohibition to Mehak Cuisines Pvt Ltd, which runs the eatery, in the wake of a video which allegedly showed dough being kneaded by foot by a worker of the hotel.

During the brief hearing today, the Food Safety Officer (FSO) told the court that when he inspected the premises on February 28, there was a dough kneading machine installed, though it was not there during earlier inspections.

Advocate Chander M Lall, appearing for Mehak Cuisines, said there was no evidence of dough being kneaded by foot. He also said the standards which Kake-da-Hotel was being asked to maintain, was not being followed in other eating joints, including the lawyers' canteen of the Delhi High Court.

He said in no other hotel in the city do the food handlers wear masks and added that it was impossible to wear them for long hours at a stretch.