New Delhi, Mar 5 (KNN) To keep a check on the wastage of food at social functions in the national capital, Delhi government has drafted a policy.

According to the draft policy, the owner, the organizer and the caterer must have the necessary permissions including Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) license from Delhi's Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to run their kitchens or to sell or serve prepared food for the guest and the consumer.

“The caterer should make proper arrangements to handover fresh surplus and leftover food to these NGOs," reads the Draft Policy for Holding Social Functions in Hotels, Motels and Low-Density Residential Area (LDRA) in National Capital Territory of Delhi.

"They should be registered with some NGO to manage surplus/leftover food by distributing the same among underprivileged,” the draft said.

The food preparation should be according to the ceiling of the number of guests as per prescribed capacity of the motel and LDRA. The number of guests cannot exceed the guest limit approved by the Urban Local Body (ULB) for that function site, it said.

The draft said, "If the food is surplus due to lower turnout of the guest and resultant less consumption, then it shall be the responsibility of organizer of the social function to remove that food from the social function site, immediately after the completion of the duration of that social function."

The Commissioner Food Safety shall ensure that the above conditions are strictly followed; any violation thereof would invite action from the deployed officers by the Commissioner Food Safety, the draft policy mentioned.

The rules will be enforced by periodical inspections, which shall be conducted by officers of various state stakeholder agencies.

"Further, officers of respective ULB will conduct random or complaint-based inspection. The violations would be noted with proofs by the inspecting officers without the disrupting the function. In the event of violation of any of the conditions, the penalty would be imposed against violators under specific act/rules/orders," draft said.

"The capacity of the space should be determined by multiplying the total number of car parking available by four or by means the number of persons obtained by dividing the gross floor area of the premises by occupant load factor at 1.5 sqm, whichever is less," said the document.

It said adding that the total number of days on which a social function can be organized are restricted to 120 days in authorized/approved spaces.

The draft also said that motels and LDRA should be constructed as per sanctioned building plan.

"Minimum area of LDRA must be equals or more than 2.5 acres. Only such Motel and LDRA houses should be permitted to hold social functions which have proper access to the road from a main road (60 ft wide or more) and the LDRA should not be located at a road which ends in a dead end," it said. (KNN/JM)