The Uttarakhand government has announced forced shut down and penalty upto ₹2 lakh of shops not displaying owners names and licence identities enroute Kanwar Yatra in the coming season starting from July 11. state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has issued a guideline directing shops lying on Kanwar Yatra routes to make their identities public.
The Uttarakhand FDA guidelines to ensure pure and safe food by the hotels and restaurants along Kanwar Yatra routes has made the display of shopkeepers’ names, license and identification cards mandatory. Letter issued on behalf of Health Secretary and FDA commissioner Dr R Rajesh warned that non-compliance with directives could result in heavy penalty and closure of the shopes. The aims not only to ensure safety of the food materials sold by but also smooth conduct of Kanwar pilgrimage.
“There will be no compromise on the quality of food served at stalls, community kitchens (bhandaras), and shops during Kanwar Yatra. Stern instructions have been issued to all strict adherence to the guidelines in the letter for hotels and restaurants along Kanwar Yatra routes. A campaign to prevent food adulteration in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, and Uttarkashi districts will also be launched during Kanwar Yatra” said Dr Kumar.
The guideline provisions also applicable to small vendors and street hawkers, who too will be required to display their photo identification and registration certificates. Non-compliance will lead to penalties of up to ₹2 lakh under the Food Safety Act.
According to Uttarakhand FDA guideline shopkeepers not displaying names and other identities may be forced to close their shops in the absence of needed documents. It’s notable that apart from Haridwar and Rishikesh large number of Kanwar Devotees from other states also move to the different locations in Uttarkashi, Pauri and Tehri districts to fetch holy Ganga river water, thus extending their routes to these areas.