Kolkata’s restaurant and sweet-shop closures are beginning to ease ahead of Durga Puja, with 170 businesses applying for fresh licences after addressing food-safety and hygiene violations, while the administration considers allowing others more time to comply.
Around 1,000 hotels, restaurants and sweet shops across West Bengal were reportedly shut following inspections that found problems including stale food, rotten meat, fungal contamination, use of prohibited colours and unhygienic kitchens. The establishments were asked to improve their standards and apply to the municipal authorities for licences within two weeks.
A report by Anandabazar – Kolkata found that only a few of the closed businesses had reopened by Tuesday, around 10 days before Durga Puja. Most remained shut, leaving workers uncertain about their employment and businesses concerned about losing the festival season, which is an important period for food and retail sales.
An unnamed municipal official said the administration was considering giving establishments an additional four months to complete the required improvements while allowing them to operate for the time being. The official also said authorities were under pressure because prolonged closures could leave many workers without employment during the festival period.
Businesses that have already submitted licence applications are expected to receive expedited inspections and decisions. Among them, Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick Sweets Private Limited announced that it had received clearance from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India after improving conditions at a small factory on B.L. Shah Road. Owner Gautam Mullick said workers had also been vaccinated and that the company’s retail outlets had not been affected.
Meraki Bakery and Confectionery in Beniapukur also announced that it had resumed operations after being closed for about a month. Its owner, Mohammad Sohel Akhtar, acknowledged that the premises had been somewhat unclean and said the necessary work had been completed before reopening.
Employees at Karim’s on Mirza Ghalib Street and Curry Patta on Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Sarani said both restaurants had restarted work after improvements to food-quality systems and infrastructure. Workers at the restaurants and at Zeeshan near Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters said there had been no layoffs, although the closure period had created considerable uncertainty before Puja.
Some establishments remain closed. The Girish Chandra Dey and Company sweet shop in Bhawanipur has not yet reopened because work at its production facility is still under way. Owner Atanu Das said the work was nearing completion and that the shop was expected to reopen on the day before Mahalaya, with employees retained during the closure.
The reopening process will depend on whether businesses complete the required improvements and secure approval from the relevant authorities. The administration is considering a further compliance window, while licence applications from establishments that have completed the work are set to be examined quickly.
