A week ago, the Raj’s Banana Leaf outlet in Bangsar was caught red-handed for washing dishes in murky rainwater on the street. After that video went viral, they were later raided and shut down until further notice for causing a health hazard to their customers.
Now, it looks like they aren’t the only ones with unhygienic practices and a dirty environment because three other restaurants in PJ have also been ordered to be closed down for similar reasons. Yikes!
According to The Star, two banana leaf restaurants and a Chinese Kopitiam in Seksyen 5, Petaling Jaya were shut down for its filthy practices and environment.
It was revealed that during a morning raid by Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) health officers, three restaurants – Restoran Gasing, Raju’s restaurant and Sri Paandi restaurant – were found to be infested with pests like rats and cockroaches. Ewww!
According to reports, rat droppings and cockroaches were found inside the cupboards, on the floor and even inside one of the refrigerators. Yuck!
Not only that, these eateries, located on the same row along Jalan Chantek 5/13, broke another important health law as the officers found out that they didn’t install a grease trap, which resulted in oil and grime flowing directly into the drains behind them.
Besides that, one of the three eateries were also fined for using the back lane to wash dishes and cook. They were also dumping wastewater into the drain instead of throwing it away appropriately. That could clog the drainage system!
“A total of 12 compounds were issued today and the restaurants will remain closed until the restaurant owners address all the violations and after MBPJ is satisfied with the cleanliness of the place,” said Sean Oon, the head of the raid and MBPJ Councillor.
He also added that these restaurants had violated the Food Establishment Licensing By-Laws (MBPJ) 2007 62/1 by putting the customers’ health at risk. Poor customers!
As of now, MBPJ has inspected about 250 eateries around PJ and 59 of them have been closed down since January 2018 for uncleanliness. That’s quite a lot!
Following the closure of these restaurants, we hope that other restaurateurs will take extra precaution with their practices and ensure cleanliness at all times. They should avoid doing anything that could pose a threat to the customers’ health.
With that said, if you come across any eateries that isn’t hygienic and clean, you can make a complaint to MPBJ or DBKL (depending on which state the restaurant is located at) so they can further inspect the matter.
Also read: Raj’s Banana Leaf Has Unvaccinated Staff, No Food-Handling Training & Pests