Reported by Mumbai Mirror
What even the cops can’t – or won’t do – Tukaram Mundhe can. Fed up with their internal complaints about the unhygienic canteen at the Mumbai Police’s Nagpada Motor Transport Department falling on deaf ears, the policemen finally wrote to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this month, which promptly fined the private canteen operator Rs 75,000 after an inspection showed multiple lapses.
The contractor has paid the fine without much ado to keep the canteen running. And Mundhe’s team achieved in a week what the cops couldn’t in a year.
We regularly receive such complaints. Accordingly, we conduct inspections and take action wherever unhygienic conditions are found. The fine imposed in this case is compoundable,” said Mundhe, Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra.
According to the challan copy seen by Mirror, the fine was imposed on Shankar Bhaskar Mahdeshwar, who runs the Motor Parivahan Vibhag Upahar Gruha. The penalty was imposed under Schedule 4 provisions and was compoundable.
A senior FDA official said the action was taken on October 21. “Our team conducted a surprise inspection and found unhygienic conditions at the canteen. The operator has a valid registration. Under the applicable provisions, a compoundable fine of up to Rs 1 lakh can be imposed. Accordingly, a fine of Rs 75,000 was imposed, which the operator paid,” the official said.
