NALGONDA: The licence dispute between food safety and excise officials is snowballing into a controversy.
The Excise department is questioning the inspections being conducted by the food safety officers in the wine shops under their jurisdiction claiming that they have the authority to inspect adulterated liquor as well as food items sold in the permit rooms attached to the wine shops.
The food safety officials of the erstwhile Nalgonda district have recently conducted inspections on the quality of food items sold in liquor shops and permit rooms in various areas.
The owners of wine shops and permit rooms have been issued notices saying that they have to get trading and food licence or face fines. There are 336 wine shops in the combined district, including 155 in Nalgonda, 99 in Suryapet and 82 in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.
According to the Food Safety Act, hotels, sweet shops, bars and restaurants, family restaurants, medical shops, wine shops, fast food centres are required to obtain a food safety licence (FSO) and a trading license from the municipality.
However, wine shop owners say that excise department has not mentioned about trade license and food safety license in wine shops agreement.
Meanwhile, the joint Nalgonda district excise officials said that the liquor companies will take food safety license and the license number will be on the bottles of the liquor company. Besides, cooking is not allowed in the permit room. They said that only liquor and ready-made food packets should be consumed. Meanwhile, large sittings in the name of permit rooms are being arranged at many liquor shops.
In some places, arrangements are made for hundreds of people to sit and drink in the name of permit room. All kinds of food items and snacks are available in the respective permit rooms, which are being sold without any permission or license. However, there are allegations that the excise department is not paying attention and taking monthly commissions from wine shops.
Questions over jurisdiction
Excise officials questioned the inspections being conducted by the food safety officers in the wine shops under their jurisdiction, claiming that they have the authority to inspect adulterated liquor as well as food items sold in the permit rooms attached to the units