The Congress Government in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday made announcement to make mandatory for the food vendors and eateries across the hill state to display the owners’ names and addresses for the convenience of customers. A decision to implement this order was taken during a meeting of the state’s Urban Development department and Municipal Corporations on Tuesday.
Himachal Pradesh’s order comes on the lines of a similar order issued by the Yogi Adiyanath led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh under which operators, proprietors, and managers must clearly display their names and addresses at all food and drink establishments.
During the meeting on Tuesday, Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that laws will also be introduced for hawkers, including the issuance of identity cards. The food regulation orders by both the Himachal and Uttar Pradesh Governments come in the wake of the Tirupati laddu row.
The hill state’s Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania has formed a seven-member committee, including Ministers Vikramaditya Singh and Anirudh Singh to implement the order.
“In Himachal too, every restaurant and fast food stall will have the owner’s ID displayed, ensuring that people do not encounter any issues,” Singh stated.
The food regulation orders by both the Himachal and Uttar Pradesh Governments come in the wake of the Tirupati laddu row. A lab report confirmed that the laddus offered to devotees as prasad at the famous Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh contain animal fats and fish oil.
A senior State Government official said that to enhance food safety and accountability, the Himachal Pradesh Government has joined Uttar Pradesh in mandating that food establishment owners prominently display their names and addresses.
Additional regulations enforced in Uttar Pradesh include mandatory mask and glove usage for food service staff, as well as the installation of CCTV cameras in hotels and restaurants. These steps were prompted by a series of incidents concerning food contamination in the State.
The push for these new regulations follows alarming cases of food contamination in Uttar Pradesh, highlighted by a viral video from September 12 that showed a teenager preparing food in unsanitary conditions, resulting in the arrest of the establishment’s owner.
Congress does a massive U-Turn
A decision by Himachal Pradesh minister requiring owners of all eateries in the state to display their names and identification cards has now put him in a fix. The state minister for public works department and urban development, Vikramaditya Singh, was summoned on Thursday (Sep 26) by Congress leadership in New Delhi and reprimanded for the order. Congress party, which currently rules the northern Indian state, had earlier criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh for issuing a similar diktat.
Congress leadership has reportedly advised Vikramaditya not to issue any further statement over the contentious issue. According to reports, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was not at all impressed with Vikramaditya’s diktat.
The Congress minister had earlier posted on Facebook that the direction to the eateries was issued so that “people do not have any problem”.
Congress is ready to hurt Hindu Sentiments
Another similar inconsistency was exhibited by the Education Minister, who initially advocated following the Uttar Pradesh model in education but later retracted his statement.
“These flip-flops show that the government is confused and is not serving the interests of the people of Himachal Pradesh,” he remarked.
He further accused the government of playing the “victim card” to avoid accountability for its decisions, stating that the people of the state are bearing the brunt of this mismanagement.
“This government has proved to be the most ineffective in the state’s history, constantly increasing the burden on the people while failing to deliver results,” he alleged.
