Jaipur: A food safety officer has been suspended and three others were transferred after a report revealed that an unlicensed catering firm had served meals to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other VIPs during the recent Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.
City-based in flight catering company Sky Feast from where the food was served to the VIPs was operating without food licence, a mandatory requirement under the Food Safety
and Standards Act, 2006.
The tenth edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was held here from January 7-9.
"AIR India had given the contract to serve the food to the catering company. Our food safety officers were deputed to take samples of the food to check its quality. The hotel was
not having the food license and the officers did not take care of it, which is a negligence on their part," an officer of state medical and health department said today.
Deputy Secretary (Medical and Health) Sunil Kumar Sharma in two separate orders issued yesterday suspended Shree Ram Mishra and transferred three officers -- Sandeep Agrawal (son of KM Agrawal), Sandeep Agrawal (son of KL Agrawal) and Rajesh Tinkar -- from Jaipur to Sirohi, Hanumangarh and Doongerpur, respectively.
"When the matter came to my knowledge on January 11, the hotel authorities claimed that Mishra demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 to settle the matter following which I initiated an
inquiry against him. Serious allegations were levelled against him. Mishra was suspended by the government as the matter is under investigation," Chief Medical and Health Officer
(Jaipur-II) Yatindra Singh said.
Singh, himself, has been served a notice over the entire episode as the four erring officials worked in his office.
PTI
