Puri: Health team of Puri municipality and food security officer raided hotels in the town following complaints of stale food being served to tourists.
Health officer of Puri Municipality Dr Sunil Tarai said after the easing of COVID restrictions, the rush of tourists to the town has witnessed a rise and taking advantage of the demand some hotels have been serving stale food leaving them sick. People falling ill due to diarrhoea and stomach-related ailments were also reported at hospitals, he added.
Accordingly, the Municipality decided to step up action on such hotels. During the raid the team found stale dough, meat and other food items. It was also found that care was not taken to store and cook non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes separately, Tarai added. Sanitation too was not being strictly adhered to, he added.
Food Safety Officer Rajeshwari Pati along with police raided hotels located between Digabareni Chhak and Acharya Harihar Chhak. While one hotel’s food safety license was found to have expired, another had a court case pending against it, she said.
“The inspection is being conducted as per FSSAI guidelines on a regular basis. Most of the hotels were closed for the COVID pandemic and are gradually opening because of which we are sensitising them on hygiene and cleanliness,” said Rajeswari.
