Bali Yatra stale food under CMC lens

CUTTACK: Bali Yatra serves an array of gastronomical delights like lipsmacking 'thunka puri', yummy 'dahi bara alu dum' and junk foods. But beware of harmful food as it may affect your health. Over 500 food joints have put up stalls.
Hordes of people throng to the fair only to relish the mouthwatering food stuff. Health officials of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Friday raided various food stalls and seized over three quintals of stale, unhygienic and harmful food.
Despite repeated reminders by the civic body, food joints in the fair are widely selling unhygienic and harmful food, said a visitor.
"We found that many vendors serving fast foods are using low-quality suaces, harmful colours and chemicals. We seized such food items and issued strict warning to them," said a health officer of CMC. Health officials said sample of food items will be sent to laboratory for testing to ascertain whether they contain harmful chemicals.
To ensure that quality food is served to the revellers, CMC started the crackdown against food vendors on Thursday. On the day, over one quintal of stale food was destroyed.
However, the raid was intensified on Friday as due to 'Chhadakhai' people gorged on non-vegetarian food. "Since morning, our teams are on the job of checking the quality of food and the stalls selling non-vegetarian food items are specially on our radar," said a health inspector.
"To meet the demands of customers, some food joints are using low-quality and stale non-vegetarian food. Our food inspectors are keeping vigil on the food stalls but the revellers should also remain alert," said said health officer of CMC P K Pradhan.
Health officials said poor quality cooking oil and spices are widely used in the fair. Along with food, the civic body officials also launched a clampdown on sale of water pouches.
"Awareness is also being created among revellers to drink safe water," added Pradhan.
Pradhan said drinking water tanks have been installed on the fair ground to provide safe water to the revellers.
"Only destorying the food items will not serve any purpose. The CMC should take strict action against those selling harmful food items so that they will not dare to do any adulteration," said Harish Das, a reveller.