Raid hits Cuttack eateries

Health squad officials seize stale food from Dama Maharaj shop at Badambadi in Cuttack on Saturday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das Cuttack, May 4: The health wing of Cuttack Municipal Corporation today served a closure notice on a reputed restaurant and sweets manufacturer unit for violating guidelines prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, rules 2011. The health squad officials, who conducted raids on five eateries today, sealed Dama Maharaj shop for stocking stale food items at Badambadi and its owner has been asked to comply within 15 days to resume operation of the shop. The civic body’s health wing seized over two quintals of sweets, including khowa and other food items, stacked inside the deep freezer. No sanitation was maintained inside the shop’s kitchen. “We had conducted the raid as part of our routine enforcement. However, we had specific complaints that many leading sweets selling shops and other hotels and restaurants were serving stale food to the customers,” said P.K. Pradhan, city health officer. He said they conducted the raids keeping in view the various health problems people usually suffer after consuming food from unhygienic roadside eateries. The corporation has issued food licence to over 235 eateries. “We have asked the restaurants to maintain sanitation and ensure that no stale food is served to the people. We are contemplating stern action against violators,” Pradhan said. The corporation officials said over one quintal of stale food that was also seized from various small hotels and roadside eateries were also destroyed today. The drive is likely to continue for another 15 days.