The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has temporarily suspended the food licences of 40 restaurants, eateries and confectioneries after a week-long inspection drive allegedly uncovered widespread hygiene and storage violations. The action, announced on Tuesday, comes weeks before Durga Puja, when the city’s kitchens and sweet shops typically see a sharp rise in demand.
Civic teams inspected 592 establishments between September 1 and 7 as part of Special Food Safety Week. The sweep covered restaurants, sweet shops, bakeries, food courts in malls, markets and clubs. Officials collected 161 food samples, issued notices to 112 units under Section 38 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, and served show-cause or refrain notices to another 89. Licences of 40 outlets were suspended. During the drive, inspectors destroyed 1,224 kg of meat, fish and other food items found unfit for sale.
KMC administrator and municipal commissioner Smita Pandey described the findings as “eye-opening.” Poor hygiene was the dominant issue, she said, particularly at sweet shops. Inspectors reported cockroaches inside refrigerators, rat infestations in storage areas, fungal growth on food, uncovered items, expired spices, food handlers working without headgear or aprons, and missing records for used cooking oil. In one case, traces of wall paint were allegedly found mixed in biryani. Improper refrigeration of meat and fish was repeatedly flagged. A food inspector said cockroaches were found stored alongside meat at a well-known Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. At Bowbazar’s Chhana Patti, teams discarded paneer and khoya that failed spot tests for freshness and permitted colours.
“Bengal is famous for its sweets. But our inspection revealed that the environment in these sweet shops needs to be much cleaner,” Pandey said. She added that hygiene problems were not confined to small outlets. “These are big names… These are not small names. And how much time does it take to fix hygiene?”
Among the outlets named by officials are specific branches of Nizam’s (the New Market restaurant long associated with the kathi roll), Kareem’s on Ripon Street/Mirza Ghalib Road, an Arsalan unit in Nagerbazar, Shimla Biryani on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Don Giovannis on Park Street, Big Boss and Denzong Kitchen in the Chinatown area, Dada Boudi Hotel, Sri Hari, Kurry Patta, and confectioneries including Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick and Girish Chandra Dey & Co on Rashbehari Avenue. A Zepto dark store was also listed. Officials stressed that action applied to particular premises, not necessarily every branch of a chain.
Some operators pushed back. Nizam’s said it had challenged the findings and would commission its own tests. Balaram Mullick director Sudip Mullick said a unit cited by KMC did not belong to the company and that the brand maintained high hygiene standards. Other outlets said they had not yet received formal notices or described closures as maintenance.
The suspensions are not permanent. Establishments have been given about two weeks to correct deficiencies and apply for restoration. KMC teams will then conduct a mandatory re-inspection. “The sooner they comply, clean up and ensure basic hygiene, the faster they can re-apply,” Pandey said. She expressed hope that compliant units could resume service in time for Puja. “Good food is everyone’s right. When we step out of our homes and trust them, it is also your duty to ensure that our trust is respected.”
Industry bodies urged members to fix problems quickly. Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India president Sudesh Poddar asked restaurants to rectify defects at the earliest. National Restaurant Association of India president Sagar Daryani said food safety is a shared responsibility and called for more emphasis on education and remediation rather than sudden licence action accompanied by media coverage.
Durga Puja in October is the busiest period of the year for Kolkata’s food trade. Sweet shops prepare large volumes of sandesh, rasgulla and other festive items; restaurants fill with family gatherings and visitors. Officials said the drive was intended to raise standards before that surge. Similar inspections have been running across West Bengal. KMC indicated checks will continue through the festival period.
