MUMBAI: A day after questioning whether Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had inspected canteens run by government and semi-government institutions during its statewide hygiene crackdown, the canteens inside Bombay high court came under the regulator’s scanner.An FDA team on Thursday inspected three canteens operating inside the Bombay high court premises. One was ordered to stop operations for allegedly functioning without a valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence, while the other two were issued improvement notices. Officials said a detailed inspection report is being prepared.“Our team did inspect the canteens of the Bombay high court. We are preparing a report. Once we submit it to our higher authorities, a statement will be issued,” an FDA official told news agency PTI.Be uniform. Be fair to all. Can’t target only private properties: HCThe inspection followed Wednesday’s hearing before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad, which had asked the state whether the FDA’s ongoing drive also covered eateries run by government departments, statutory authorities and semi-government bodies. The government assured the court it would place details of inspections conducted across Maharashtra, including at government-run canteens.The FDA’s statewide crackdown has intensified since IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took charge as commissioner in May. Besides inspecting several restaurants and hotels, the regulator has suspended the licences of establishments, including the Cricket Club of India and MIG Cricket Club, over alleged food safety and hygiene violations.
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During Thursday’s inspection, the FDA found that the Bombay Bar Association (BBA) canteen had already shut operations voluntarily earlier in the day. Officials later issued it a “stop business” order, alleging it had been operating without the mandatory FSSAI licence.In its order, the FDA said non-compliance could attract a penalty of up to Rs 2 lakh, while continuing to operate without a valid licence could lead to prosecution under the Food Safety and Standards Act.The third-floor BBA canteen, which serves snacks to original side members, had informed its members that services were being “temporarily discontinued until further intimation”. The association’s notice said the closure was initiated voluntarily and that no adverse communication or order had been received from the FDA.BBA president Nitin Thakker said the canteen had been shut before the FDA team arrived. He added that the contractor obtained the required licence later in the day and operations were expected to resume shortly.The FDA also inspected the high court’s ground-floor staff canteen, where food samples were collected, though it remained operational throughout the day. Another small tea canteen near Court Room 36 was shut voluntarily. Advocate Suresh Sabrad, secretary of the Advocates Association of Western India, said no FDA officials visited that outlet.The inspections continued till late evening as officials completed documentation.The high court again took up the issue on Friday, questioning the FDA’s “selective” approach after a lawyers’ panel reported poor hygiene at Mantralaya canteens despite the regulator awarding them a 98% compliance rating. The court sought an explanation from the state on the apparent discrepancy.
