Hindustan Times 07.09.2010
BMC to check if your barber shop makes the cut
The corporation’s Health department is preparing guidelines for the system. The criteria on which hairdressers will be rated include whether staff are medically fit, whether the salon uses a steriliser and whether it has a separate water connection and a fire fighting system. “Whether the towels used in the salon are washed and used every day and whether the staff use clean gloves and aprons will also be checked,” said Dr G.T Ambe, executive health officer with the BMC.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said the BMC is still looking into how this system can be put in place.
Each salon will be given marks out of 100. The ones that score 80 marks and more will be rated Grade-I, those scoring between 50 and 80 will be Grade–II and the ones that score less than 50 marks will be Grade–III. Ambe said the grading system will ensure that consumers know exactly what a shop has to offer. It will also force barbers to maintain more hygienic conditions in their establishments, he said.
The proposal is with Municipal Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya. Once Kshatriya approves it, the BMC will begin the exercise.
Sources in the BMC said, civic officials met members of the Hairdressers’ Association of Maharashtra to discuss the proposal. Hairdressers, however, were reluctant because many of them charge very low rates and feared that would affect their ratings. The BMC regulated barber shops but only to the extent of checking whether they were paying taxes and following licence conditions.
The BMC, however, will not interfere with the rates charged at these shops. “It is the prerogative of the owner to decide depending on the services they have to offer,” said a civic official, who has drawn up the rules.
