The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration is awaiting replies from five restaurants and food outlets at the Mumbai Cricket Association premises in Bandra-Kurla Complex after issuing notices over alleged violations involving third-party operations and food-business licensing.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said on Sunday that the MCA is registered as the food business operator for the premises, while the restaurants are being operated by another entity that does not hold a separate food licence or registration for the businesses.
The FDA has issued notices concerning four or five locations at the MCA facility. Mundhe said the department would decide its next course of action after receiving responses from the concerned establishments. The notices were issued in accordance with directions from the Bombay High Court, which has also passed an order concerning whether a licence obtained by the MCA can be operated by another entity.
According to the FDA’s position, a food licence is issued to a specific entity for a particular premises and activity. An operator other than the licensed entity cannot therefore run the business under a licence issued in the MCA’s name, Mundhe said.
The action follows an earlier FDA inspection that identified alleged hygiene lapses and structural violations at the establishments. The five outlets named in the earlier action were Permit Room, Pavilion, Mediterranean, Oriental Swing, and Clubway & Pastry Counter.
The FDA had previously suspended the food licences of the five outlets. The restaurants and bars were subsequently allowed to reopen after intervention by the Bombay High Court last month. The latest notices relate specifically to the licensing arrangement and the identity of the entity operating the businesses.
The establishments were reportedly being operated by third-party contractor Shirke Infrastructure, while the food-business operator licences remained in the MCA’s name. Mundhe said any entity actually operating a food business must obtain the required licence or registration in its own name before conducting operations.
The commissioner said the FDA would examine the replies submitted by the restaurants before passing further orders. The department’s decision will determine the next regulatory step for the outlets at the MCA facility.
