AMBALA/YAMUNANAGAR: Over 70 people fell ill in Haryana's Ambala and Yamunanagar districts after consuming food items prepared of 'kuttu' (buckwheat) flour, consumed mostly during the nine-day 'Navratra' festival, which began on Saturday.
Around 50 people were taken ill in Ambala after consuming 'chapatis' prepared with 'kuttu' flour on Saturday night, officials said. They added that all of them were admitted to the civil hospital where their condition was stated to be stable.
Hospital sources said they might have consumed adulterated 'kuttu', which is used by people who fast during the festival.
Ambala Food Safety Officer Rajiv Kumar said that he had received information in this regard on Saturday night. The cases were reported from Ambala Cantonment as well as the city area, the officials said.
One of the patients admitted at the civil hospital said that he had purchased the flour from a grocery shop at Kachcha Bazaar in Ambala Cantonment, they said.
After collecting information from the patients, the food safety officer raided several shops and collected samples of 'kuttu' flour and other edible items generally used during Navratri. Kumar said that all the samples have been sent to the state laboratory for testing.
After getting the report, strict action will be taken against those shopkeepers whose 'kuttu' flour is found adulterated, he said. In Yamunanagar district, over 20 people fell sick after eating bread made of buckwheat flour. They were admitted to different hospitals there, the officials said.
According to the officials, some of the patients in Yamunanagar said they ate 'chapatis' made of the flour on Saturday, following which they fell ill.