New Delhi:
The aroma that Biryani creates might make all the biryani lovers go haywire, however the neighbours of this Indian restaurant in the UK didn't shared the same equation.
Owners of an Indian restaurant 'Khushi' in the UK have been fined by a court after neighbours complained of strong 'curry smells' flowing from the eatery.
Khushi, which serves Punjabi dishes and was based in the Red Rose pub, was set in a built-up residential area alongside other businesses.
According to the reports, the Linthorpe restaurant was lacking a 'sufficient filtration system'. A handful of locals had been complaining about the smells, which led to the council's decision.
Read more: Gene variants influence our food choices, says study
Middlesbrough Council fined 'Khushi Indian Buffet Restaurant' owners Shabana and Mohammed Khushi after some residents had complained that the smell of spicy food from the restaurant's kitchen got in through their windows and was overpowering.
The pair were fined 258 pounds each, ordered to pay 500 pounds costs each, and a 30 pounds victim surcharge.
The Khushis had moved into a former pub building so no variation of planning permission was needed and therefore they were never made aware of the type of filters they needed, solicitor Neil Douglas said in their defence.
Shabana, 42, speaking after the case, was quoted as saying, “We are relieved that it’s all over, but we feel let down by the council.”
“We’ve tried to be a good neighbour but we feel we’ve been targeted by a small minority of people. Others have said they can’t smell anything until they’re inside the restaurant”, she added.
Read more: Centre directs states to display food grain subsidy at ration shops
Mohammed, 46, said, “It has been very stressful. We have had this hanging over us, and we will also have the fine hanging over us and when you start a business, you’re trying everything you can to be a success.”
However, the Khushis did admit that they failed to comply with an abatement notice, which aimed to stop “cooking odours being emitted by the extraction system at said premises, in order to prevent nuisance being caused to neighbouring occupiers”, between March and September last year.
