Pune’s Food and Drug Administration has suspended the licences of Vaishali and Roopali, two prominent restaurants on FC Road, after inspections found serious hygiene and food-handling violations. Both establishments have been barred from all food business activity, including dine-in sales, takeaway orders and home deliveries, until the deficiencies are rectified and a fresh inspection confirms compliance.
Shrikant Karkale, joint commissioner (food) at the Pune FDA, said inspections at both restaurants had revealed serious hygiene lapses. “We have suspended their licences for now. We will be intensifying our inspections across restaurants, clubs and other eateries in the next few weeks,” he said.
The inspection at Vaishali found severe space constraints in the food preparation area. According to the FDA findings cited by the Times of India, freezers storing raw material were placed next to the women’s washroom, while the griddle used to prepare dosas and uttapams was located beside the men’s washroom because of inadequate kitchen space.
Inspectors also found boiled potatoes, cooked rice and other ready-to-eat food stored in an open corridor. The preparation of idli and dosa batter was taking place in an open and unprotected area, while the kitchen lacked insect-proof doors. Raw chopped vegetables were placed directly above ready-to-eat food items. Temperature records and an updated drinking water test report were also unavailable.
Vaishali scored 58 out of 98 during the inspection and was marked “non-compliant”. An FDA source said establishments must score 98 out of 98 to be classified as compliant. A senior food safety officer said serious deficiencies were found despite an improvement notice issued after an earlier inspection in June 2026.
Nikita Shetty, who runs Vaishali, said the restaurant was addressing the compliance issues raised by the authorities. The management of Roopali said it had not received an improvement notice and that its licence was directly suspended. It said the concerns were now being resolved.
At Roopali, the FDA reported that the kitchen was open and inadequately protected, exposing food preparation areas to dust, dirt and insects. Inspectors also observed water stagnation, inadequate cleaning and improper waste disposal. Raw material, semi-processed food and ready-to-eat items were stored without proper covering, labelling or use-by dates.
The suspensions have also raised wider concerns about hygiene monitoring at busy eateries that handle large volumes of food every day. Diners cited ventilation, pest control and food storage as important safeguards, while welcoming the FDA’s decision to intensify inspections.
The Pune Municipal Corporation is separately planning action against establishments on FC Road. Balasaheb Dhawale-Patil, ward officer of the Ghole Road area, said the civic body had regularly acted against encroachments in the side and front margins of food joints and other commercial establishments in coordination with the building permission department. He said more action against rule violators on the road was planned in the coming days.
The two restaurants can resume operations only after the FDA conducts fresh inspections and confirms that the identified deficiencies have been addressed.
