Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 9 (ANI): AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, along with a delegation of the Twin City Hotel Owners Association, met Telangana Food Safety Commissioner Avinash Mohanty and sought uniform, transparent and legally prescribed enforcement procedures during the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs(TG SAFE) inspections.
The delegation requested the Commissioner to ensure that food business operators are first issued improvement notices, identifying deficiencies and providing them a week's time to rectify the shortcomings, before suspension orders are issued in cases where improvements are not made.
Speaking after the meeting, Owaisi said several hotels had received suspension notices, while others were served improvement notices. The delegation included representatives of prominent Hyderabad hotels.
Owaisi said all hotel owners had agreed on the need to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in food preparation areas and ensure that customers were served quality food. He added that they were committed to complying with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
"I had spoken with TG SAFE (Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs) Commissioner 3-4 days back. His Department issued several suspension notices to hotels; notices for improvement were also issued. The delegation met him today. There should indeed be proper hygiene at places to eat, so that customers do not fall ill; they admitted this. We told the Commissioner to issue improvement notices first and give them a week; suspend them only if they show no improvement in that period. We collectively urged that the provision under Section 32 [of the FSS Act] be utilised to issue improvement notices first," Owaisi said, adding that the delegation had cited instances where suspension notices could have been avoided through improvement notices.
He also highlighted practical difficulties faced by hotel operators during inspections, including the handling of water while preparing biryani in large quantities, the use of plastic gloves while cooking high-heat dishes and the storage of ginger sacks carrying soil.
Owaisi said the authorities had also shown photographs of certain hotels where basic hygiene standards had not been maintained, acknowledging that shortcomings were visible in those cases.
The delegation further requested the Commissioner to consider the rectification reports submitted by hotels that had received suspension notices and allow them to reopen if the deficiencies had been addressed.
"We also requested Mr. Mohanty to depute officials so we can conduct a joint meeting. This will ensure that all provisions mandated by Parliament under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, are thoroughly fulfilled, and the general public receives food prepared in the best possible manner," he said.
Owaisi appealed to hotel owners to strengthen hygiene measures, stop reusing cooking oil and adhere to food safety standards. He said the discussion with the Commissioner lasted nearly 50 minutes.
He expressed hope that hotels which had submitted genuine rectification reports would receive a positive response and permission to reopen. He also said the authorities had assured the delegation that the practical difficulties raised during the meeting would be considered. (ANI)
Hyderabad: Owaisi seeks uniform enforcement of food safety norms during TG SAFE inspections, urges improvement notices before suspension
