BMC to Launch Food Safety Inspections and Cancel Licenses of Mumbai Eateries
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon launch a ward-level inspection and crackdown on restaurants, dairies, and eateries across Mumbai to strictly enforce hygiene and food safety standards. Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde directed the civic body's health department to initiate the drive, warning that establishments failing to comply will have their operating licenses cancelled. The announcement follows recent state-level crackdowns on prominent food joints in localities such as Churchgate and Bhendi Bazaar.
The upcoming BMC drive will specifically target food establishments, restaurants, and dairies that have previously received notices for violating safety norms. Mayor Tawde confirmed that the civic body’s Medical Officer of Health (MOH) department will lead the inspections. The municipal initiative will begin immediately after a scheduled review meeting to coordinate the ward-level teams.
In Mumbai, obtaining a BMC health license is a mandatory requirement for operating eating houses, restaurants, milk dairies, ice factories, and drug manufacturing structures. Mayor Tawde clarified that the health department will actively cancel these operational licenses if any establishment is found violating cleanliness and safety standards during the upcoming inspections.
This municipal action comes in the wake of the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ongoing "Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra" campaign. Between May 25 and July 14, the FDA inspected 443 establishments, including hotels, restaurants, and dhabas, and issued 161 improvement notices.
The FDA campaign resulted in the suspension of 56 food business licenses. Among the penalised establishments were several iconic Mumbai venues, including the K Rustom ice-cream joint in Churchgate, the 110-year-old Parsi Dairy, and the Shalimar and Noor Mohammadi Hotel in Bhendi Bazaar.
Praising the FDA's recent actions, Mayor Tawde stated that the manner in which the state agency carried out its crackdown is commendable. She noted that the BMC aims to replicate this rigorous enforcement at the local ward level to ensure public health and safety across all municipal zones.
