Many Hyderabad eateries yet to register under Food Safety and Standard Act

HYDERABAD: With not many eateries coming forward to take licence and register themselves with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) under the Food Safety and Standard Act (FSS), 2006, the corporation has decided to take up a special drive and even initiate prosecution proceedings against some hotels for not taking the mandatory licence to run eateries. 

The Centre has given time to hotels and small eateries to take licence and register themselves till February 4, 2014. Though there were about 12,000 hotels and another 20,000 small eateries and tiffin centres in Greater Hyderabad, only 5,000 have taken licence and registered with the GHMC so far. 

As per the FSS Act, 2006 (rules framed in 2011), a licence is mandatory to run any food-related business like manufacturing, distribution, processing or retail sale with an annual turnover of over Rs 12 lakh. For the licence, the establishments have to pay a fee of Rs 2,000. Vendors or eateries having less than Rs 12 lakh turnover should register with the GHMC by paying Rs 100 per year. 

Apart from hotels and restaurants, roadside eateries, grocers and departmental stores selling food products, and meat stalls would also have to register or obtain licence depending on their turnover. However, many traders in the city were yet to register themselves under the FCC Act. 

Official sources said the rules for FSS Act were released in August 2011. In 2012, 3,575 vends had taken licences and another 4,655 got registered. In 2013, 2,495 eateries had obtained licences and 1,484 had registered with designated officers and food safety officers in the corporation limits. 

The sources said poor response was mainly due to lack of awareness among hoteliers, small vendors and businessmen. While in some cities like Chennai, the corporation has started spot registration for roadside eateries at various places and even taken out awareness rallies in view of the nearing deadline, the GHMC has not taken up any awareness programmes so far, especially for roadside eateries. 

If anyone fails to take licence under the Act, the designated officers have powers to prosecute hotels. The courts might impose fine up to Rs five lakh, while for establishments having less than Rs 12 lakh turnover the fine could be up to Rs two lakh. 

When contacted, GHMC designated officers of FSS Act, K Balaji Raju admitted that many traders have to take licence and register. They have not been coming forward even after the deadline was extended several times, he added. 

"The corporation has conducted meetings with hotel associations and bakeries' associations to bring awareness among vendors and hoteliers. Some more awareness programmes are being planned for roadside eateries with the help of Reddy's Foundation," Balaji Raju added.