Dehradun. A case of violation of food safety standards has come to light in the Handi restaurant of Doon Club located in Karanpur, Dehradun.
During inspection by a joint team of Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) and District Legal Services Authority, rotten vegetables, stale food items, dirt and presence of cockroaches and rats were found in the kitchen and storage areas.
On this, the restaurant has been closed immediately and a 14-day improvement notice has been issued to the operator.
On the instructions of Vinay Shankar Pandey, Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration, a campaign is being run against unsafe and adulterated food items in the state.
In this sequence, a surprise inspection of Handi restaurant of Doon Club located at New Survey Road, Karanpur was conducted on Tuesday. The team checked the kitchen, freezer, food storage area, utensil washing area and store room.
During inspection, many vegetables including cauliflower, radish, capsicum, cabbage and potato were found in rotten condition in the freezer.
The team also found cooked rice that was about two days old, kneaded dough that was two to three days old and ingredients for making momos and chow mein that were about a week old. Food items were kept in open utensils.
Presence of cockroaches and rats was found in the kitchen and spice cupboard. Many bags of spices were found gnawed by rats.
At the place of washing utensils, three to four days old old utensils, accumulated garbage and excessive dirt were found. The drains were blocked and the drainage system was also found to be poor.
The restaurant management could not submit records related to the medical examination of the employees. Evidence of pest control being carried out in the premises and testing report of the water being used were also not available. The joint team collected samples of cheese, milk and ready-made chicken curry kept in the deep freezer from the restaurant and sent them for testing.
On the spot, about five kilograms of stale rice, 15 kilograms of rotten vegetables and two kilograms of momos along with stale chicken curry were destroyed. According to the department, after receiving the test reports of the samples, further action will be taken under food safety laws.
The inspection team included senior food safety officer Kapil Dev, designated officer Manish Sayana and senior food safety officer Ramesh Singh.
Doon Club President Manoj Suri was also present during the inspection. The team instructed restaurant owner Abhay Singh Negi to remove the deficiencies related to food safety and hygiene.
The department has instructed the restaurant operator to clean the premises, proper disposal of spoiled food items, effective pest control, repair of drains and drainage system and check the quality of drinking water within 14 days.
Records related to medical examination of employees will also have to be made available. After the stipulated period, the improvement works will be verified by re-inspection. If the deficiencies are not rectified, other legal action can be taken including suspending the license.
Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration Vinay Shankar Pandey said that providing safe, clean and quality food items to the people of the state is the priority of the administration.
Action will be taken as per rules against establishments found adulterated in food items, preparing food in unhygienic conditions and ignoring prescribed standards. He said that any kind of compromise with the health of consumers will not be tolerated.
Additional Commissioner Tajbar Jaggi said that inspections and raids are being conducted across the state to ensure the quality of food items. Special attention is being paid to storage of food items, kitchen cleanliness, quality of drinking water and food preparation process.
Meanwhile, District Legal Services Authority Secretary Seema Dungrakoti said that such irregularities in a prestigious institution like Doon Club are worrying.
In such institutions, the arrangements for preparing and serving food must be clean and safe. He said that protecting the health of the general public and consumer interests is paramount.