POPULAR banana leaf restaurant Raju off Jalan Gasing was one of three eateries ordered to close today by Petaling Jaya City Council health officers over cleanliness issues.

The other two were Restoran Gasing and the Sri Paandi restaurant, all of which are on the same row on Jalan Chantek 5/13 in Seksyen 5, Petaling Jaya.

The closures were ordered after raids by the city council on the restaurants this morning.

“Twelve compounds were issued today and the restaurants will remain closed until their owners address all the violations and after the council is satisfied with the cleanliness of the place,” councillor Sean Oon reportedly said. 

During the raids, it was reported the officers found “rat droppings and cockroaches inside cupboards, on the floor and even in one of the refrigerators”.

One of the restaurants also used a back alley to wash dishes and cook, with waste water being dumped into drains. 

There were also no grease traps in the restaurants, causing oil and grime to flow into the drains, The Star reported. 

This is the second crackdown on unhygienic restaurants after the authorities shut down Raj’s Banana Leaf in Bangsar after a video of workers washing plates using dirty water went viral. – June 5, 2018.