SHIMLA: A day after BJP-governed UP revived a stayed order asking eateries to display ownership details, this time to enforce accountability for food safety, the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh followed suit with a notice making it mandatory for restaurants, fast food outlets and roadside vendors in the hill state to do likewise.
HP Urban development minister Vikramaditya Singh cited UP’s move to announce Wednesday that eateries and mobile food vendors must be made accountable for hygiene and quality.
He said mandatory display of the names and other details of owners of any food business would enable authorities to track them efficiently and implement the rules.
Singh said a meeting of the department and Shimla Municipal Corporation was held Tuesday to discuss concerns about food safety. “A street-vending panel has been constituted to issue ID cards. Display of registration and other details is mandatory to ensure transparency.”
The minister dismissed speculation about the government planning to allow only Himachali street vendors to do business. “Various governments had previously taken such decisions in HP, but these were dismissed in the high court. So, we do not want to take any decision that could come under judicial scrutiny.”
Singh said the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government had already done what was possible, introducing reservation for SC, ST, physically handicapped and divorced women in the issuance of street-vending licences.
The controversy over a significant number of street vendors from outside HP operating in the state was stoked by some right-wing outfits starting a campaign for the demolition of a disputed portion of a mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli. This led to demands for verification of the “antecedents of outsiders” involved in street vending.
#Himachal #cites #hygiene #order #eatery #owners #display #names #India #News #Times #India
