Mumbai: The proprietor of Poornima, a south Indian restaurant popular among lawyers and office-goers who flood the Fort area every weekday, has petitioned the Bombay high court to challenge the FDA action of shuttering its doors following an inspection last Friday.The restaurant owner filed the petition on Monday, raising several grounds to challenge as flawed and false the findings of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the basis of which it was asked to shut down.FDA inspectors visited the restaurant around 4 pm on Friday when cleaning work was under way following the lunch-hour frenzy, said the petition. Following its inspection, the FDA suspended the restaurant’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence with immediate effect. The FDA action was without issuing the 14 -day improvement notice contemplated under the law, said the plea.The FDA stopped food operations until deficiencies it cited stand rectified and compliance with food safety standards is verified. The restaurant remained closed on Monday and Tuesday. The high court is expected to hear the matter on Friday.On July 6, Park Inn by Radisson, through its HR head, too had petitioned the high court against suspension of its FSSAI licence by the FDA. The high court had on July 17 directed the FDA to form a panel to inspect compliance claimed by the hotel and report back. The high court will hear the matter on Wednesday.In the Poornima case, the FDA reportedly said banana and drumstick and other raw food had “fungal growth’’. The Poornima petition said banana skin naturally turns black and, in a key grounds, said when it offered that samples of raw food be taken by the FDA officials for testing as is required by law, no samples were taken.The petition said only a laboratory test can reveal whether there was any alleged fungus and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and rules provide for testing.The notice makes no reference to any bugs, cockroaches or rodents, said the petition, which seeks interim relief of staying the suspension of its licence.The petition, questioning the FDA notice, said when the inspectors arrived, the floor was being mopped and the FDA notice said the floor was wet, the food and kitchen equipment were being cleaned and the report said it found food particles on equipment, all of which was clearly visible in the CCTV footage.The petition, citing high standards of care, safety and hygiene employed, noted that while the restaurant walls are tiled end-to-end, and ceiling is aluminum cladding, the FDA notice said “plaster and paint’’ was flaking.The FDA has recently been on an inspection drive of food establishments and cracked down on several for reported violations of food safety and hygiene norms.
