Food safety authorities have suspended the FSSAI licences of 14 Hyderabad restaurants and issued show-cause notices to eight others, including Taj Falaknuma Palace, after inspections found pest infestations, contaminated food, expired products and serious hygiene violations across establishments in the Golconda and Charminar zones.
The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) conducted the special inspection drive on Saturday using 22 enforcement teams comprising Food Safety Officers and police personnel. The teams inspected 22 restaurants and other food establishments, collected 21 food samples on suspicion of adulteration and discarded 544 kg of spoiled or contaminated food items.
The restaurants whose licences were suspended include Hotel Nayaab at Nayapul, Shah Ghouse Cafe in Shalibanda, Dine Hill Restaurant, Sohail Restaurant, Aeezebo The Royal Arabian Restaurant, Hotel Sri Raghavendra Udupi Veg in Tolichowki and Santosh Nagar, Lucky Restaurant in Santosh Nagar, Sri Balaji Family Dhaba and Siddique Kabab Central Kitchen in Gudimalkapur, Alsaba Hotel in Tolichowki, Mehfil Restaurant in Dilsukhnagar, Hotel Akshaya Tiffins in Malakpet and Hotel Venkateshwara on MJR Road.
TG SAFE instructed all 14 establishments to immediately stop operations in the interest of public health. The inspections reportedly found cockroach and housefly infestations, spoiled and fungus-contaminated vegetables, expired food products and raw meat stored alongside vegetarian food. Officials also recorded greasy walls and exhaust systems, damaged flooring, water stagnation and inadequate food storage.
Other violations involved food handlers working without hairnets and gloves and the repeated use of cooking oil for frying. Officials discarded a further 13 kg of used cooking oil on suspicion that it had been repeatedly reused. The collected food samples will form part of the authority’s follow-up action, although the supplied report does not state the results of laboratory testing.
The eight establishments served show-cause notices are Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hotel Sabzi in Charminar, Pista House Restaurant in Shahalibanda, Sweekar Hotel in Santosh Nagar, Mandi at 36 Arabian Kitchen in Charminar, Golconda Hotel and Resorts in Masab Tank, Imperial Multicuisine Restaurant in Tolichowki and Taiba Bakery in Lakdikapul.
A show-cause notice gives an establishment an opportunity to respond to the violations recorded by the authority before further regulatory action. TG SAFE said additional action, including the imposition of penalties, would be initiated against the establishments served notices. The immediate suspensions place the responsibility on the affected businesses to stop serving food while the enforcement process continues.
The inspection drive also highlights the operational challenge of enforcing food safety across a dense and commercially active city. The affected locations span older market areas such as Charminar and Shalibanda as well as neighbourhoods including Tolichowki, Santosh Nagar, Malakpet and Dilsukhnagar, where restaurants, bakeries, central kitchens and food outlets serve large numbers of residents every day.
TG SAFE’s next steps are expected to include action based on the 21 food samples, responses from the eight establishments issued show-cause notices and further penalties where violations are established. The authority has not stated when the suspended licences may be reviewed or whether the named establishments will be permitted to resume operations.
