If the BBMP has its way, diners will be able to see exactly what is happening inside the kitchens of the restaurants they are eating in.
The BBMP, on Saturday, proposed that CCTV cameras be installed in kitchens so that customers can monitor how their food is being prepared.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said that apart from darshinis, where the kitchen is visible to patrons, all hotels with a separate kitchen and dining area would be brought under the ambit of the order.
The order is expected to be issued next week, and hotels will be given time to comply.
“This is to bring about transparency and ensure cleanliness in the kitchen. Live feed from these CCTV cameras have to be displayed on a monitor in the dining area,” Mr. Prasad said.
The measure comes following a spate of recent raids on high-end hotels on Lavelle Road by the Health Department of the civic body.
The raids exposed the lack of hygiene and cleanliness in those kitchens.
“What we saw during our inspection of the hotels was really shocking. The hotels that charge so heavily cannot get away with these unhygienic conditions in their kitchens. For instance we saw how kebab skewers were kept next to the washing area and the meat marinated in their backyards. Installation of CCTV cameras and a live feed on a monitor in the dining area will go a long way,” said Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Health, BBMP.
The move has expectedly met with stiff opposition from the hotel industry.
Chandrashekhar Hebbar, president of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association, alleged that the civic body was only targeting big hotels but not regulating street vendors where the hygiene was a real concern.
“Many of our hotels are reeling under a loss and this will only mean an additional burden,” Mr. Hebbar said.
