KOCHI: Amidst strong protests from the locals, the Indian Coffee House at the High Court Jetty, one of the oldest hotel chains in India, has been closed down by the Corporation authorities citing that the hotel lacked hygiene. It was in the wake of complaints from a section of Ernakulam Law College students that the authorities conducted a check and asked to close it down.Mayor Tony Chammany informed that the hotel was closed down after the Health Department officials seized stale food from there. The inspection team has also collected food samples from the hotel. “The inspection team found out that the hotel was lacking in hygiene. More action would be taken only after the test results are out,” the Mayor said. However, there was stiff opposition from the local people. “I usually take food and water from the Indian Coffee House. I have entered their kitchen several times. Till this date, I have not found any sign of unhygienic conditions inside the Coffee House’s kitchen,” said Robin, who runs a small fancy shop set on a cart opposite to the Coffee House. Kareem, another wayside vendor who has a small fruit stall, also had the similar views to share. “ I take food from this hotel right from the day I started this stall and they were always serving only good food,” he said. The locals also said that foul smell emanated from the deserted plot adjacent to the hotel as garbage were strewn all around. “Most of the hotels in the area dump waste in the drains in front of the Indian Coffee House causing block in the drainage system,” Robin said.Meanwhile, the Indian Coffee House officials said that it is one of the hotels where the customers can enter the pantry room to collect their parcels. The clerk of the hotel said that those who came with protests did not take the food, instead they came straight to the pantry to click some photographs. “When we inquired about it, they went and returned with 10 or 12 people and started behaving rashly,” he said.
Comments
0 comment