The corporation is all set to tighten the licensing norms of wayside eateries in the city as part of its renewed food safety drive.
Following the eviction of all wayside eateries from the beach and other parts of the city a week ago, the corporation has come out with clear cut instructions for the eatery owners.
At a meeting with representatives of eateries on Wednesday, the Health officials insisted that there should be uniformity in the design and colour of the eateries. The handlers should wear a prescribed uniform. The licence numbers should be prominently displayed at the units along with a photograph of the owner.
The Health Department officials had inspected eateries last week and found that many were not functioning under hygienic conditions.
At the meeting, the corporation officials insisted that the prescribed safety standards be followed in stocking and preparing of food.
The representatives of eateries agreed to all the conditions set by the corporation, except for the cap on the number of eateries allowed. The corporation was not ready to allow more than 50 eateries on the beach. There were about 100 eateries functioning on the beach before they were evicted a week ago. The representatives demanded that all of them be brought back, but the corporation has not agreed to it.
Health standing committee chairman of the corporation K.V. Baburaj said there were a lot of unlicensed eateries in the district. Licensing will be made strict henceforth and only the eatery owners will be allowed to handle the units. As of now, most eateries are handled by people other than the owners, even migrant labourers.
