The government of Bihar has shut down the first KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) outlet in Patna when the company failed to produce a suitable operating license. The outlet of the multinational food chain was raided by the officials from the Food and Safety Department.
The outlet is located in the premises of Regent Cinema near Gandhi Maidan and was raided on December 13, 2012. The team of officials who raided the outlet included Surendra Kumar, who also collected samples of different food items to examine them in a government laboratory.
Kumar said that the owners of the restaurant could not produce valid documents which are required to run a food and beverage outlet. The official also stated that it was illegal to run the food joint without obtaining prior permission. According to eye witnesses, the raiding team arrived at the location at around 8 pm and asked for papers. When the owners could not produce the papers, they were asked to shut down the outlet immediately.
The Food and Safety Department officials said that the violators could face a fine of up to Rs. 3 lakh and imprisonment of up to three years. The government will hope that such action will serve as a deterrent to other such license violators and that the standard of food handling will improve in the country.
