NEW DELHI: In a first, the National Restaurant Association of India has written to the government of Haryana and the state chief minister against at least 50 restaurants in the state flouting laws on matters such as food safety, fire prevention and pollution control. Some of the restaurants and pubs, many of which are also chains operating more than one store, include names such as Hyde by Plan B, Junction, Karma, Knight Rider and The Social Chamber.
Almost all of them continue to be listed on restaurant discovery and online ordering platform Zomato. Addressed to Haryana chief minister ML Khattar, the letter highlights “non-compliance of laws prescribed to operate restaurants”. The national association, which has over 5,000 members, has urged the state government to set up a joint department committee to look at the functionality of such restaurants. “Operators are flouting laws which cover commercial activity of operating a restaurant. While they are adhering to the excise policy in providing a ‘safe’ drinking place, these restaurants are preparing, cooking and serving food and other beverages; there has to be compliance of food safety, fire prevention and pollution control.
These are being flouted,” the letter by National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) president Rahul Singh, written on behalf of its members, states. ET has seen a copy of the letter, which has been registered by the Chief Minister Grievances Redress and Monitoring System. “This is the first time we are taking up non-compliance of laws by restaurants with the government, starting with Haryana since it’s one of the biggest eating hubs in the country. We will take up similar cases in other states going forward,” Singh told ET. The letter states that there are “various” rules which have to be in compliance to commercially operate a restaurant such as the FSSAI food safety licence and registration of Goods & Services Tax. Late last year, the association had put in place a self-regulatory regime following a fire at a Mumbai rooftop restaurant in Kamala Mills that had killed 14 people.
