In the wake of the inspections being carried out by a special health squad under the district administration on eateries in the city, the Hotels and Restaurants Association has given strict instructions to maintain hygiene in hotels during monsoon.
Earlier, the squad had conducted inspections at eastern parts of the district and actions taken against eateries which failed to maintain cleanliness. The Hotels and Restaurants Association officials said they had handed over the guidelines to the eatery owners to avoid unnecessary inspections of the health officials. “It should be ensured that all employees are free from communicable diseases. The owners must keep a vigil. The kitchen area must be kept clean and cannot be used for any other purposes, including drying the cloths of the employees,” the association member said.
They have also been urged not to keep the stale food at eateries. “The stale food must be cleared on a daily basis. Using oil repeatedly must be avoided and safe food must be distributed through the eateries,” the member added.
The special health squad authorities said they will intensify inspections in the district. “The initiative has started to avoid the spreading of diseases through unhygienic food,” the member said.
Meanwhile, the Hotels and Restaurants Association, in a press release, said they were forced to increase the price of the food items owing to the the soaring prices of vegetables and raw chicken.
Jose Mohan, general secretary, Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association demanded the state government to intervene in the issue immediately.
“The price of vegetables and raw chicken is increasing as never before. This has landed the hotels owners in soup and they are in the verge of a close down,” he said. He added that the upcoming trawling ban will lead to the unavailability of fish and will have a natural bearing on the prices. “The ban begins on June 15. The dearth of fish will intense the crisis,” he added.
