Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Credit: PTI Photo
Lucknow: In an apparent bid to prevent alleged incidents of mixing of urine in fruit juices and spitting on ‘roti’ (chapati) in different parts of the state, Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday directed that the dhabas, eateries and other restaurants must display the names of the owners, managers and others prominently.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath also directed that a statewide campaign be launched to check all such eateries and conduct police verification of the persons working there. ‘’This process should be started immediately by joint teams of the police, food safety and drug administration and the local officials,’’ he said.
According to the official sources here, the directives of the chief minister came at a high level meeting with senior officials here.
‘’If required, rules should be amended to ensure the health safety of the common people,’’ the chief minister said.
Adityanath said that incidents of alleged mixing of human waste and other things in the food products and juices had been reported from different parts of the country. ‘’Such incidents are disgusting,’’ he added.
‘’The names of the owners, managers and others working there must be prominently displayed at every dhaba, restaurant and eatery...police verification of all the persons working there must be conducted,’’ Adityanath said.
He also directed for installing CCTVs not only in the seating areas of the customers but also in other areas in the restaurant. ‘’The owners will have to preserve the CCTV feeds and will provide them to the police if required,’’ he said.
The directives came close on the heels of Adityanath’s remarks while inaugurating a floating restaurant in his home town of Gorakhpur regarding incidents of alleged mixing of spit and urine in food products and juices.
The state government had, recently, asked the owners of the eateries on the 'kanwar yatra route' in some districts to mention their names on the eateries to ''avoid any confusion'' among the 'kanwariyas' (Hindu devotees who collect waters from the sacred Ganga river and offer the same at Shiva temples during the Shravan month).
Although the police had said that the directive was meant to prevent 'controversy' and 'tension', it was perceived to be aimed at the Muslims, who allegedly operated eateries on the 'kanwar yatra' route named after Hindu gods.