Tuesday 6 December 2011

Delhi: Five-star hotel lands in trouble over sea cucumber




Serving prohibited sea cucumbers has landed the management of a five-star hotel in the city in trouble. Officials of the wildlife protection department have moved the Delhi High Court, seeking the quashing of a lower court order that had set aside the summons against the general manager of the Taj Hotel on Mansingh Road.

Sea cucumber is a rare sea animal, trading in which is illegal and carries stiff penalties under Indian wildlife protection laws. They enjoy the same level of protection under the law as the tiger.

In an appeal against the sessions court's order, government's standing counsel Jatan Singh has sought that summons be issued against general manager Digvijay Singh after the same were quashed by a sessions judge in October this year. The court will take up the appeal on Wednesday.

The incident dates back to August 2009. The wildlife department had registered a complaint against the company running the affairs of the Taj Hotel after they raided the hotel and seized 10 sea cucumbers from the kitchen.

The department had received a tip-off that sea cucumber was part of the hotel's menu and was being served to customers.On August 26, 2009, the wildlife department received information around 11.30 am that sea cucumber was being served at the restaurant 'House of Ming' in the hotel.

A team visited the restaurant and found that the menu contained two sea cucumber dishes. The seized sea cucumbers were then sent to the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata for scientific identification and expert opinion.

Serving prohibited sea cucumbers has landed the management of a five-star hotel in the city in trouble.
Officials of the wildlife protection department have moved the Delhi High Court, seeking the quashing of a lower court order that had set aside the summons against the general manager of the Taj Hotel on Mansingh Road.
Sea cucumber is a rare sea animal, trading in which is illegal and carries stiff penalties under Indian wildlife protection laws. They enjoy the same level of protection under the law as the tiger.
In an appeal against the sessions court's order, government's standing counsel Jatan Singh has sought that summons be issued against general manager Digvijay Singh after the same were quashed by a sessions judge in October this year. The court will take up the appeal on Wednesday.
The incident dates back to August 2009. The wildlife department had registered a complaint against the company running the affairs of the Taj Hotel after they raided the hotel and seized 10 sea cucumbers from the kitchen.
The department had received a tip-off that sea cucumber was part of the hotel's menu and was being served to customers.
On August 26, 2009, the wildlife department received information around 11.30 am that sea cucumber was being served at the restaurant 'House of Ming' in the hotel.
A team visited the restaurant and found that the menu contained two sea cucumber dishes.
The seized sea cucumbers were then sent to the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata for scientific identification and expert opinion.


Serving prohibited sea cucumbers has landed the management of a five-star hotel in the city in trouble.
Officials of the wildlife protection department have moved the Delhi High Court, seeking the quashing of a lower court order that had set aside the summons against the general manager of the Taj Hotel on Mansingh Road.
Sea cucumber is a rare sea animal, trading in which is illegal and carries stiff penalties under Indian wildlife protection laws. They enjoy the same level of protection under the law as the tiger.
In an appeal against the sessions court's order, government's standing counsel Jatan Singh has sought that summons be issued against general manager Digvijay Singh after the same were quashed by a sessions judge in October this year. The court will take up the appeal on Wednesday.
The incident dates back to August 2009. The wildlife department had registered a complaint against the company running the affairs of the Taj Hotel after they raided the hotel and seized 10 sea cucumbers from the kitchen.
The department had received a tip-off that sea cucumber was part of the hotel's menu and was being served to customers.
On August 26, 2009, the wildlife department received information around 11.30 am that sea cucumber was being served at the restaurant 'House of Ming' in the hotel.
A team visited the restaurant and found that the menu contained two sea cucumber dishes.
The seized sea cucumbers were then sent to the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata for scientific identification and expert opinion.


No comments:

Post a Comment