Hyderabad’s popular Karachi Bakery has been fined by civic authorities after a customer complained about packaged sweets from the store having fungus on them. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has reportedly imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the Khajaguda branch of the bakery chain. On January 1, the irked customer had shared images of a box of Mysore Pak that he had purchased from the bakery with fungus growing on it.
“Karachi Bakery Hyderabad packaged sweets have fungus growing on them, please consume them cautiously,” he had tweeted, asking GHMC and other civic authorities to take action. Following the complaint, health and food contamination control officials of GHMC visited the Khajaguda branch and found violations of COVID-19 protocol, non-segregation of waste, use of plastics and lack of a silt chamber, according to The New Indian Express.
In November 2018, the Ameerpet branch of Karachi bakery was raided after a customer complained of worms in sweets purchased from the store. After the customer’s tweet went viral, the bakery was raided by GHMC officials, and a fine of Rs 25,000 was imposed.
Karachi Bakery Hyderabad packaged sweets have fungus growing on them, please consume them cautiously. please Retweet.
— జి. శ్రీనివాసరావు (@SrinivasRTIA) January 1, 2022
Dear @MinisterKTR @arvindkumar_ias @TSMAUDOnline @GadwalvijayaTRS @GHMCOnline @CommissionrGHMC @ZC_SLP please take action. pic.twitter.com/BwZjJ7VX5R
In October 2019, popular biryani joints in the city Paradise and Cafe Bahar were booked by GHMC after a raid found that they had maintained unhygienic standards. A fine of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on the restaurants. The kitchen of the SD Road branch of Paradise in Secunderabad was raided after a customer complained that they had found hair in the biryani. During the inspection, officials said they found that single-use plastic was being used, and rotten vegetables were present in the kitchen.
With a history of nearly 68 years, Karachi Bakery is one of the iconic eateries in Hyderabad, with branches across India. Back in 2017, the outlet was slammed after an image of a packet of bread went viral, showing a false manufacturing date. The incident was reported from the outlet’s main branch opposite Moazzam Jahi Market. Karachi Bakery had issued a statement saying it was a typo, and GHMC officials too said that no violations were found.