SAMBALPUR: In a delayed but stern step to prevent spread of jaundice, Food Safety Officer of Sambalpur Municipality conducted raids on eateries at various places in Sambalpur town. Earlier, the municipal authorities had asked owners of roadside eateries and restaurants to follow hygienic methods to prepare food.
Food Safety Officer Rudra Pratap Mandal said 104 kgs of unhygienic and stale food were destroyed on Thursday during the raids. Similarly, 178 kgs of food items were seized on Wednesday.
Collector Balwant Singh said household survey on sanitation and drinking water provision will be started by ANMs and ASHA workers. Besides, squads of civic and health officials will be formed to keep a tab on the eateries selling stale food and providing impure water to consumers.
With more number of people coming in the grip of jaundice in the town, the administration had convened a meeting of around 250 owners of roadside eateries on Friday. They were asked to use disposable gloves, plates and glasses and keep the food covered. In case of steel glasses and plates, they were told to clean those properly. Jaundice has claimed a total of nine lives in Sambalpur town. Head priest of Patneswari temple Raghubir Panigrahi (55), Anil Barik (36) and Chelia Mohanty (30) died of the disease on November 30 and December 1. Both Panigrahi and Barik were under treatment at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar respectively. With the consumption of contaminated water stated to be the main cause of spread of the disease, Government on Tuesday activated emergency mechanism to tackle the situation.