A Haldiram’s restaurant on VIP Road in Kolkata was shut on Tuesday after food safety officers found cockroaches, flies and inadequate cleanliness inside the outlet, while the adjoining retail section selling sweets and savouries was cleared as compliant.
The restaurant, a popular landmark located around two kilometres from the airport, was inspected by food safety officers from the state health department. Officials found cockroaches and flies beneath shelves under the food counter and underneath tables where cooked food was being handled or stored.
“There were flies and cockroaches in the dark corners of the shelves where cooked food was kept and underneath the tables at the restaurant, which defies cleanliness norms,” a senior food safety department official said.
The operators agreed to keep the restaurant closed for two days to carry out cleaning, pest-control and other corrective work. Officials said pest control could not be undertaken while the restaurant remained open. The owner could not be contacted for comment.
The closure applies to the restaurant and not to the adjoining Haldiram’s retail outlet, which sells sweets and savouries. The retail section was found to have satisfactory hygiene standards and to be compliant with norms laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
The distinction is significant for customers visiting the complex during the festive season, when the retail outlet attracts large crowds buying products such as laddus, barfis and gajas ahead of Diwali. The inspection was part of checks being conducted across New Town, Salt Lake and surrounding urban areas, officials said.
“We wanted to ensure that customers going to this popular outlet to buy laddus, barfis and gajas were consuming safe items,” the official said.
Food safety officers also directed the restaurant operators to install machinery capable of monitoring the quality of cooking oil used daily. The restaurant sells several fried items, and the department described the equipment as necessary for monitoring compliance.
The restaurant will not be allowed to resume operations immediately after the two-day closure. Sources said the operators would inform food safety officials after completing the cleaning and hygiene measures, following which the department would conduct a fresh inspection.
The action follows other closures in the wider Salt Lake and New Town area. On Saturday, inspectors shut a popular dhaba opposite City Centre after finding mould-covered meat in refrigerators and unhygienic food preparation conditions. A prominent nearby sweet shop was also closed for two days after inspectors found raw materials stored beyond their shelf life.
The next inspection of the VIP Road restaurant will determine whether the corrective measures are sufficient for the outlet to reopen.
