Bengaluru: The state government was in such haste to launch the Indira Canteen to make a big impression on the voters that it forgot a very important duty that it was bound to do. Despite the Section 31 (1) of the Food Safety Act clearly stating that nobody is entitled to commence a food business without a licence from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the 101 Indira Canteens were launched by the ruling Congress government in the state, without the necessary licence.
Though the BBMP sources have been claiming that the government establishments do not need such permissions and licences, the Section 31 (1) of the Food Safety Act does not exclude the government or government bodies from the said ‘nobody’. Some other top notch officers have said that the licence will be done soon, if it has not been done now, much in contradiction to the rules that such licences are mandatory for any set up before starting the business itself.
The contract to run the Indira Canteens has been given out to two caterers – Mumbai-based ChefTalk and New Delhi-based NGO Rewards. However, it is now learnt that Chef Talk had asked the BBMP to apply for the required licences before the canteen could be started, but it was the BBMP which was shrewd enough to think that it was ‘okay’ to go ahead with the project violating rules because the caterers have their own licences in place!
The need for FSSAI licence or certification is must because the body ascertains that the food served by any said establishment is safe for public consumption. In absence of the said certificate, the food served at Indira Canteen is not checked for quality.
The importance of the licence is felt and recently even UGC passed guidelines making it mandatory for college canteens to get FSSAI licence, but the Karnataka government did not realise the basic requirement, which if not fulfilled can land a common man venturing into food business in deep trouble.
The Section 63 of the Food and Safety Act states that any person or food business operator except for temporary stall owners and petty hawkers (section 31 [2]) found running food business without the licence could be imprisoned for six months and also fined Rs 5 lakh.
Meanwhile, on Monday one of the canteens located at Subramanyanagar (Ward 66) remained closed for lack of water.
