Industrialist Harsh Goenka has reacted to a recent Bombay High Court remark that has grabbed attention online. The comment came during a hearing related to a five-star hotel that challenged the suspension of its food licence over alleged hygiene issues.
On August 13, the 68-year-old business tycoon, shared a screenshot on X of an unknown post which read, "We are in India. Be realistic. Finding only three cockroaches is not enough to cancel a food licence."
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Commenting on this, he wrote, "Three cockroaches are apparently not enough to cancel a food licence. Perhaps what we now need is an official 'cockroaches per square foot' limit - graded separately for homes, restaurants, hotels and hospitals!"
Watch the full post below:
Goenka's post comes days after Park Inn By Radisson in Navi Mumbai moved the Bombay High Court against the suspension of its licence in July.
Appearing for the hotel, its lawyer argued, "This issue is not about one cockroach or 10 cockroaches. But a license cannot be suspended based solely on a checklist."
The lawyer also argued that the FDA had not provided sufficient and relevant written reasons to support its decision before taking such drastic action.
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The case has come at a time when Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration is carrying out inspections and taking action against restaurants, hotels and club canteens over hygiene concerns. In one such case, the food licence of Mumbai's Cricket Club of India canteen was suspended after inspectors allegedly found cockroach and fly infestation, fungal growth, spoiled and expired food, clogged drains and other violations.
Earlier this week, the Maharashtra FDA suspended the licences of five chain restaurant outlets, including four Domino's stores, and issued stop-business orders to two other outlets as part of a statewide inspection drive.
According to an FDA press note, the Mumbai outlets whose licences were suspended are located in Vile Parle (West), Borivali (West) and R-City Mall in Ghatkopar (West). The licence of the Domino's outlet in Malkapur, in Karad town of Satara district, was also suspended.