ILLEGAL EATERIES EVERYWHERE!

Most of the road side eateries across Pimple Saudagar are illegal and operate without permission from Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). It seems that residents are not bothered about the hygiene of the food items served at such eateries.

Most of the road side eateries across Pimple Saudagar are being run without having registered with Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) owing to their lack of awareness and lethargic attitude of FDA officials to spread the word. Though FDA officials should have registered all the vendors selling food items to legalize the stalls and bring them under the purview of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. They have not carried a single round of inspection across the area in recent past. 

Indifferent attitude of residents who are not bothered about illegality of stalls and hygiene have been helping illegal businesses to flourish. These stall owners do not maintain FDA prescribed hygiene standards. Alert citizens demand FDA officials to begin a drive to register food vendors to avoid any untoward instances of food poisoning.

Vendors not aware

More than 35 road side food outlets selling chat, juice, south Indian food, Maharashtrian food, snacks and fast food run business in the morning and evening hours. Most of the vendors are clubbed at Kunal Icon road, mainly at Shivar Chowk and near the entrance of Kunal Icon Cooperative Society. 

It is compulsory for any food outlet owner to register with FDA and get a certificate which requires Rs 100 fee per year. They also need to put a copy of FDA registration on display at their stall. But not a single food stall at Kunal Icon Road has such certification on display. While remaining stall owners are not aware of registration process.

Formation of FDA

FDA came into existence in 2011, as a separate department to issue registration or license to shops or stalls selling food items like snacks, fruits vegetables, dairy products, provision stores, restaurants and drinks. Registrations are given to those with income less than Rs 12 lakh per month while licenses are for the ones with income more than Rs 12 lakh.

Pimple Saudagar, Pimple Gurav, Pimple Nilakh, Kalewadi, and Rahatani is one zone out of eight across PCMC limits for FDA. There are only 1444 registered eateries in the area. It is compulsory for a food safety inspector to go for an inspection to all stalls and vendors in his area at least once in a year. The fact that a couple of stall owners proudly share the information that how they have been running business successfully for more than six years without disturbance from FDA prove that no single inspection has been carried till now.

“We are overburdened with work. A food safety inspector has to issue license and registrations, carry out inspections, and send food items to laboratory to check hygiene level. We have not carried inspection,” said Avinash Bhandwalkar, food safety inspector, PCMC.

Manoj Lonkar, administration officer, D Ward PCMC expresses inability to take action against vendors under anti encroachment drive on the back ground of the Street Vendors Act, 2014, that regulate street vendors in public areas and protect their rights. 

Satrughna Kate, local corporator said that the corporation was in process to finalize an area for hawker’s zone where stalls could be put up legally but he didn’t explain when it would be done. Both FDA officials and corporators agreed that there is need to get street food vendors registered and promised that it would be done soon.

Stalls operating without permission 

Shivar Chowk

Happy Singh Food Express Ice-cream

Shree Ganesh Milk and Juice

Shreyash Kathi Roll Momos

Supreme Sandwich Centre

Dakshin Davangiri Dosa

Kartik Pan Centre

Two South Indian food centre

Vadapav and Pohe Centre

Near Kunal Icon Society

Kalpana Bhel centre

Chaitanya Dosa Centre

S V Pav Bhaji

Bhairavnath Pavbhaji

Krishna Kachi Dabeli

Shri Krishna Bhel

Traffic Jam fast food centre

"FDA officials are in the process of registering all food vendors either on the spot or through official process. We will register vendors across Pimple Saudagar soon.

S P Shinde, joint commissioner, PCMC area, FDA"

" If the stalls are removed from here then we will have to travel to explore new food stalls.

Santosh Maskar, Roseland Residency."

--Varsha Torgalkar