Municipality Conducts Raids On 35 Eateries In Rourkela

Rourkela: In the wake of strict enforcement of food safety norms in Odisha capital and Cuttack, Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) carried out raids on eateries in the city on Monday.

With temporary stalls, kiosks and hand-driven carts, selling unhealthy food, cropping up during festive season, the municipal authorities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack carried out raids on the eateries before the beginning of Dussehra.

They not only checked the quality of food items but also hygienic practices at the place of cooking. Those not adhering to the guidelines and using poor quality ingredients, artificial colours and harmful chemicals were closed down or imposed heavy penalty by the enforcement officials of the municipalities.

Following the reports of the raids, there was a heavy demand by the people of Rourkela for similar checking in the city. Coming under public pressure, the RMC carried out raids on hotels, fast food stalls, roadside kiosks and other eateries on Monday.

A team of RMC officials led by Food Security Officer Swagatika Behera inspected at least 35 eateries at Power House Road, Koelnagar and Bandhamunda on the outskirts of the city. During the raids, around 30 kg of stale food recovered from the stalls were destroyed and penalty of Rs 5,000 collected from those not following the hygienic norms.