IMPHAL, Jun 17: Prominent hotels in Imphal city have come under the scanner of Demo-cratic Student’s Association of Manipur (DESAM) for unhygienic practices.
The students’ body laun-ched inspection drive to check unhygienic practices at different places today around 3 pm.
After New Hind Jalpan Hotel, Paona bazar was indefinitely closed and its license seized for not following the norms on hygiene under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 on Jun 15, the students’ body launched another inspection drive at Dhaneswori Canteen located at Konung Mamang and People’s Canteen at MPP Shopping Complex, Imphal.
Volunteers of the students’ body, led by their health and environment secretary Sh Devdutta Sharma, checked whether the eatable items sold in these hotels are hygienic or not.
It was found that Dhane-swori Canteen at Konung Mamang did not have any food safety certificate or license issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Moreover the kitchen and dish washing areas are all filled with filth and flies from the nearby drain which was directly linked to the toilet.
Eatables and sweets which were ready to serve to customers were found scattered on a table without properly covered. Unhygienic practices in cooking eatables were also found.
A 13 year old boy from Assam was also found employed in the hotel indicating employing underage child defying the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.
Devdutta said that the hotel owner of Dhaneswori Canteen should procure the requisite license and certificate to operate such hotels from the FSSAI. Further he stated that the inspection drive is to imbibe good hygienic practices, manufacturing practices and personal hygiene for personnel involved in such business.
Meanwhile, one of the most popular fast food joint of Imphal City ‘People’s Canteen’ was also inspected by the student body and faulty practices were detected.
Drinking water supplied for consumers were unhygienic according to the student body. Clothes of hotel workers and staff were also found hanging above the working areas where eatables were prepared. The dish washing area was found next to the toilet and dustbins all clubbed together on the same spot showed unhygienic conditions. Eatables were also found kept above the dustbins. The FSSAI certificate of the hotel has expired in January this year which raises serious questions as to how such prominent eating joint of the people could neglect the standard norms, stated Devdutta. Following the findings, the student body locked down the hotel for today and asked the owner to rectify their mistakes. Meanwhile, another fast food hotel near People’s Canteen was also locked down after it was found in filthy conditions. Devdutta urged the authority concerned to regularly check whether the eating joints and hotels possess necessary license and follow the Food Safety norms under FSSAI.
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