The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : MCH crackdown on cool drink vendors, eateries

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

MCH crackdown on cool drink vendors, eateries

By T. Lalith Singh

HYDERABAD, MAY 1. Heat conditions prevailing in the city for the last few days, which sent soaring the sale of ice, cool drinks and fruit juices, has also galvanised the food inspectors of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) into action.

In a bid to check the unhygienic conditions in which most of the roadside fruit and juice centres operate, MCH teams have launched raids in different parts of the city. Apart from seizing samples of the cool stuff for analysis, the teams led by food inspectors have also destroyed samples which were found to be unwholesome.

"At most places, the glasses used to serve juice were found to be dirty and not cleaned properly. Vendors keep a bucket of water alongside and they dip all glasses in it which is not an acceptable way," a food inspector said. In the last week, these teams lifted 36 samples of ice and juice from different parts of the city and despatched them for analysis.

The MCH teams, which monitor the quality of food at eateries including star hotels and restaurants, also lifted 142 food samples of which 24 were found violating the prescriptions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. Apart from hotels, the drive covered roadside eateries such as `panipuri' and chat kiosks also and immediate action in the form of destroying unwholesome food and leftovers kept in refrigerator for serving the next day, was taken up.

Last year, the corporation launched prosecution against 69 eateries that were found violating the provisions of Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Of the 644 samples lifted by food inspection teams, 89 were found adulterated. If the violation is proved in court, under the Act, those flouting the norms could face imprisonment ranging from six months to two years, the MCH officials said.

"Most of the cases pertain to deviations in terms of use of colouring material, preservatives and so on. There were some cases of bacterial contamination too," said G. Malsur, MCH Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation).

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