21 bars and restaurants sealed in Delhi's Hauz Khas village
, TNN|
Updated: Sep 25, 2017, 12.34 PM IST
NEW DELHI: At least 21 restaurants in Hauz Khas were sealed on Saturday following Delhi Pollution Control Committee's order. None of these restaurants followed the waste norms and some of them even did not have license. The authorities sealed these restaurants as It's difficult for them to ensure the quality of foods in unlicensed restaurants which pose danger to the health of the customers who do not bother to make an inquiry about the license of the restaurants while visiting them. Five of these restaurants, an official said, were big establishments.
The norms under the air and water act for restaurants include ensuring waste is discharged and treated properly, pollution norms are met by the kitchens and better sanitation and hygiene practices are followed. Besides ensuring minimum generation of waste and several other requirements, the norms require that the eateries should have oil and grease trap cum settling tank, provision of channelization system in kitchen and should apply to DPCC for the consent to establish and consent to operate.
"The sealed restaurants did not have any of these," said an official.
SDM Hauz Khas Ramchandra Shingare, who supervised the sealing exercise, said: "Adequate security arrangement was made for the sealing exercise. No law and order problem was created during the sealing exercise which began in the morning and was concluded towards the evening. Together 21 restaurants were sealed."
The exercise, an official said, did not come as a surprise to the restaurants' owners. "After an inspection visit in April, DPCC issued directions to these establishments to strictly follow the detailed waste and pollution norms. They were given three months period to comply with the order of the pollution watchdog but they failed. It prompted DPCC to order the sealing," an official said.
DPCC officials said the restaurants were issued notices by them in advance for violating waste norms. "The action followed allotment of enough time to them," said a DPCC official.
"Any eatery or restaurant found to be violating the air and water pollution norms will be flagged off by us. We had sent notices to several such eateries earlier as they were not following the prescribed norms and waste disposal practices. Action was then taken against these eateries and more are under the scanner," said a senior DPCC official.
New York Slice in Hauz Khas, one of the restaurants which had earlier been served a notice by DPCC said that several restaurants were shut down during the day after supposed reminders to follow the rules.
"We were also given a notice earlier but we followed the norms and made the prescribed changes, following which DPCC cleared us to function," said a staff member at the restaurant.
Niranjan, manager of Welcome Point, another sealed restaurant, said the restaurant was sealed even though it followed all the norms. "We have all the papers with us. The sealing was done despite us adhering to the norms," he said.
DPCC officials further said that restaurants will be regularly checked to ensure they are adhering to the norms and are not units of pollution.
The norms under the air and water act for restaurants include ensuring waste is discharged and treated properly, pollution norms are met by the kitchens and better sanitation and hygiene practices are followed. Besides ensuring minimum generation of waste and several other requirements, the norms require that the eateries should have oil and grease trap cum settling tank, provision of channelization system in kitchen and should apply to DPCC for the consent to establish and consent to operate.
"The sealed restaurants did not have any of these," said an official.
SDM Hauz Khas Ramchandra Shingare, who supervised the sealing exercise, said: "Adequate security arrangement was made for the sealing exercise. No law and order problem was created during the sealing exercise which began in the morning and was concluded towards the evening. Together 21 restaurants were sealed."
The exercise, an official said, did not come as a surprise to the restaurants' owners. "After an inspection visit in April, DPCC issued directions to these establishments to strictly follow the detailed waste and pollution norms. They were given three months period to comply with the order of the pollution watchdog but they failed. It prompted DPCC to order the sealing," an official said.
DPCC officials said the restaurants were issued notices by them in advance for violating waste norms. "The action followed allotment of enough time to them," said a DPCC official.
"Any eatery or restaurant found to be violating the air and water pollution norms will be flagged off by us. We had sent notices to several such eateries earlier as they were not following the prescribed norms and waste disposal practices. Action was then taken against these eateries and more are under the scanner," said a senior DPCC official.
New York Slice in Hauz Khas, one of the restaurants which had earlier been served a notice by DPCC said that several restaurants were shut down during the day after supposed reminders to follow the rules.
"We were also given a notice earlier but we followed the norms and made the prescribed changes, following which DPCC cleared us to function," said a staff member at the restaurant.
Niranjan, manager of Welcome Point, another sealed restaurant, said the restaurant was sealed even though it followed all the norms. "We have all the papers with us. The sealing was done despite us adhering to the norms," he said.
DPCC officials further said that restaurants will be regularly checked to ensure they are adhering to the norms and are not units of pollution.
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)
