Quality control: KMC health dept collects food samples from Dolmen Mall

Chacha Jee outlet in the food court was closed temporarily

KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) health department paid a visit to a few food outlets in Clifton’s Dolmen Mall and collected samples for testing.

The raid came a day after a team led by the KMC’s senior director, Dr Salma, sealed shut Dilpasand Sweet in North Nazimabad as it was the same restaurants from where a teenage girl had eaten a toxic burger and died.

“On Tuesday we paid a surprise visit to Dolmen Mall food court and found some germ-infested food at different outlets,” Dr Salma told The Express Tribune. Earlier, the department had received complaints from a senior police official that his family became sick after eating a meal at the food court.

Following the complaint and the Dilpasand tragedy, the team visited Dolmen Mall’s food court and took samples from all restaurants, she said. “For the time being, we closed down one outlet, Chacha Jee,” she said. “Later, we let them reopen and will order them to shut down once the sample has been tested.” The food samples have been sent for examination, she said. “If we get positive reports, we will take strict action against all restaurants as well as the Dolmen Mall administration,” said Dr Salma.

According to Dolmen Mall centre manager Captain (retd) Habib Khan, Dr Salma could not find anything that showed the food court was unhygienic.

“All restaurants, including Chacha Jee are still open and were never closed, not even for one hour,” he claimed. Khan admitted that the health director had collected samples from various outlets, including international franchises. “She and her team were having dinner at the same food court after the inspection,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2015.