Admin to hold camps to help street food vendors get licence

Ranchi: The district administration will hold a day-long camp at the collectorate building on Wednesday to issue licences to street food vendors as part of its efforts to implement Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and Food Safety Standards Rule, 2011 effectively.Ranchi’s sub-divisional officer (SDO) Deepak Dubey has directed all food vendors selling any kind of food items, even on carts, to mandatorily take proper licences from competent authority at the earliest failing which they will be liable for six months imprisonment or Rs 5 lakh penalty or both as applicable during surprise raids.To facilitate licences, the administration has decided to hold a daylong camp at collectorate building in the first phase.Dubey said, “Vendors even selling water chestnut, tea, dumplings, bhunja, golgappa-phuchka etc on roadside need to obtain food safety licence. Under FSSA, street sellers are also required to register their food products. A camp is being arranged in this regard at the collectorate office on Wednesday to begin with. Our goal is to issue licences to the remaining food business owners who do not have one.”According to an official, there are more than 20,000 food business owners in the state, but only 10% hold a licence. The camp is being organised to grant them licence at ease. In order to receive one, operators have to register online at (http://www.foscos.fssai.gov.in). Those who can’t register, can walk at tomorrow’s camp to apply for licence. The licence price has been set at Rs 100 for businesses with less than Rs 12 lakh yearly revenue. Those with revenue greater than Rs 12 lakh will be required to pay a fee between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000.Subir Ranjan, district food safety officer, said, "Between Kutchery and Nucleus Mall where scores of roadside eateries exist, an awareness camp is being held regularly to encourage proprietors to register for a licence. More camps will be organised in different regions in order to issue licences to all vendors."