Alipurduar takes measures to ensure healthy food to residents

Kolkata: The Alipurduar district administration is taking all possible measures to ensure that the residents get healthy and safe food after it received umpteenth number of complaints about food adulteration and unhygienic practices.

"We have found that more than 99 percent of the hotels and restaurants based here are functioning only with trade licence. They claimed ignorance of the fact that they need to have the licence from the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for running their business. Moreover, in a number of hotels, the kitchens were found unhygienic and have become breeding grounds for rats, cockroaches and other insects. The food quality in a number of hotels was also a major cause of concern," said Nikhil Nirmal, District Magistrate, Alipurduar.

The administration has already sealed 3 leading hotels for not possessing proper licence and adhering to food safety standards. Showcause notice was served right on the spot.

A follow up raid was conducted on Wednesday and two more shops including a noted sweet shop was closed down for dishing out sweets of inferior quality.

"In the sweet shop, we have found sweets with fungus that was ready to be served to the customers," a senior district official said.

The district administration has made arrangements for accepting on spot applications for FSSAI licences to ensure that no edible food is sold without valid licence which is mandatory as per law.

"Our food division is buzzing with worried hotel owners making a beeline to get licences after the raid and stringent action taken by us. The kitchens of the hotels are also being overhauled apprehending punitive measures," the DM added.

It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the recently held administrative meeting at Alipurduar had directed the DM to take proactive steps to ensure that the residents get the right kind of healthy and safe food.

A senior district official said as the post of food inspector was lying vacant in the Alipurduar civic body, the DM took initiative to rope in a food inspector from Jalpaiguri for supervising the raid on back to back Wednesdays in the district. The food drives were also videographed.

"We have held meetings with the local business chambers and have made it clear that both trade licence from the local civic body and FSAAI licence are mandatory for food business. There should be no compromise with the quality of food," Nirmal

reiterated.