CMC launches crackdown on stale food

CUTTACK: Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has launched crackdown on stalls selling stale food items in the Baliyatra fair.

To ensure that revelers are served with good quality food in the fair, special squads of CMC on Wednesday conducted surprise raids on 182 food stalls in the fairgrounds and destroyed over 160kg of stale food. Besides, for the first time CMC also collected fine of over Rs 1000 from the stall owners, who were found selling stale food items. "Our aim behind collecting fine from food stall owners is to instill fear in their minds so that they will not sale stale or unhygienic food to the revelers," said CMC commissioner, Gyana Das.

Lip smacking food items like thunka puri, dahi bara alu dum, chilly chop, Mathura cake, chaat and kebabs are major attraction of the fair and some hot favorite among the revelers. Lakhs of people throng to the fair specially to relish the mouthwatering food stuff. "It is our top priority to ensure that hygiene and good quality food is served to people in the fair. Lakhs of people congregate every day in the week long fair and any leniency may lead to outbreak of gastrointestinal diseases," said a CMC officer. Along with stale food, the civic body is also targeting the stall owners who are using polythene packets in the fair. Use of polythene is completely banned in the fair. However, the directive has little impact on the fair ground.

CMC officials claimed that despite repeated warnings some food joints are using stale and low quality ingredients in the food. CMC will initiate strict action against the repeated offenders. "Now, we are collecting nominal fine but from repeated offenders we will collect more amount," said a CMC officer.

Over 600 kiosks are selling mouth watering food items in the fairground during the eight day long Baliyatra. The CMC will intensify the raids and each and every stall will be checked thoroughly. The civic body has launched crackdown on sale of water pouches in the fair ground.

Revelers have also welcomed the move. "It is a good initiative and the raids should be conducted properly during the fair," said Samir Ranjan Das, a reveler.