GURGAON: Days after a customer allegedly found a live worm inside a sandwich at PAUL in Gurgaon, surprise raids at five prominent eateries in neighbouring Faridabad have uncovered serious food hygiene violations, including live insects in vegetables, fungus-infested bread and the alleged reuse of cooking oil.A municipal corporation health team carried out inspections on Wednesday at Haldiram, Om Sweets, Babbal, RPS and Gulati in NIT Faridabad, imposing cumulative penalties of more than Rs 15 lakh on the five establishments.At Babbal, inspectors allegedly found live insects crawling inside vegetables and bread covered with fungus stored in a container. Officials said the outlet owner left the premises after spotting the inspection team.At Om Sweets, the team allegedly found cooking oil being reused. Workers were also seen attempting to throw away a large quantity of kachoris in a dustbin as the inspection team arrived, officials said. Similar violations related to the reuse of cooking oil were allegedly found at Haldiram, while RPS and Gulati were also inspected for hygiene lapses.Babbal was fined Rs 6.5 lakh, while Om Sweets was penalised Rs 6 lakh. Haldiram was fined Rs 2 lakh, RPS Rs 50,000 and Gulati Rs 45,000, taking the total penalties to more than Rs 15 lakh.Officials involved in the drive said they faced pressure to stop the inspections.“When we go to conduct raids, we get a lot of calls asking us to stop the raid. What are we supposed to do — sit back and leave the public at risk? Should we wait for someone to fall seriously ill or die before action is taken?” an officer said.The crackdown has also highlighted a wider problem confronting Haryana’s food safety enforcement system — an acute shortage of Food Safety Officers (FSOs).Of the 45 sanctioned FSO posts in the state, 27 have been filled through deputation. However, 11 officers are awaiting posting, while another 11, who completed their on-the-job training on August 19, are awaiting FSSAI certification before they can be formally notified.This has effectively left only five officers handling field responsibilities, with postings in Hisar, Rewari, Jhajjar, Kurukshetra and Karnal.The shortage has created a regulatory gap, with municipal bodies stepping in to conduct inspections but facing questions over their authority to inspect food establishments.Officials said the latest drive was aimed at ensuring that eateries follow basic food hygiene and safety standards, stressing that establishments — irrespective of their size or popularity — must maintain cleanliness and follow safe food handling practices.The raids come amid growing concerns over food hygiene in Gurgaon and the wider NCR. The recent alleged worm-in-sandwich incident at PAUL in Gurgaon had already sparked outrage, while food safety raids and enforcement drives across the region have renewed questions over how effectively restaurants and popular food outlets are monitored.With inspections now uncovering insects, fungus-infested food and alleged reuse of cooking oil at prominent eateries, the latest crackdown has once again put the spotlight on the food reaching consumers’ plates — and the shortage of officers responsible for ensuring it is safe.
