Durgapur civic body finds colour in food items

Durgapur Municipal Corporation cracked down on some restaurants on Saturday and found that colours were being mixed with food items to enhance the attraction.

Member, Mayor-in-Council (Health) Lovely Roy along with some senior officers of corporation, raided several restaurants and caught restaurant staff red-handed while they were mixing colours in the food items.

The corporation found that the restaurants were well known about the quality of food but they were careless to maintain proper hygiene. The officers took food samples and other necessary things along with them for scientific examinations.

"Getting a tip-off that adulterated food items are being served in some restaurants in Durgapur, the corporation decided to conduct a raid across the city. The drive will follow similar raids in other areas of the city as well," said a corporation source.

The team led by Mayor-in-Council (Health) raided several restaurants in Benachiti and City Centre and found that the restaurants were not maintaining health norms. Mayor-in-Council (Health) instructed her officers to collect samples and informed the restaurants owners to expect punishment if they are proved guilty.

The corporation source informed that the civic body would extend its helping hands to the offending restaurant owners to resolve the food adulteration-related problems.

"We have expertise in dealing with such cases of adulteration. We will extend our help to the restaurant owners if they want us to do so," the source said.

Among the food items, biryani was one among the items in which unhealthy yellow colours are being used, the officers suspected.