JEYPORE: The unusual rise in the number of roadside eateries in Jeypore town has become a cause of concern. Even as these eateries pose health hazards, there has allegedly been no effort on the part of the district administration to conduct raids and check if the stalls have food licence certificates.
At least 200 small and large food stalls, hotels are running on Jeypore Main Road, MG road, NH 26, Laxmi Talkes Road, Tarini chowk, Prasad Rao Peta and these outlets are choc-a-bloc with customers every day.
Worrying is the fact that over 90 per cent such hotels do not adhere to basic hygiene and sanitation. Most of these eateries reportedly do not possess food license to operate food stalls. These shops mushrooming on all places have also posed traffic congestion problems as people park vehicles at will on the roads to eat.
“There is hardly any food safety and sanitation protocol maintained by the roadside food stalls in Jeypore,” rues Jaganath Satapathy, a resident adding that a strict enforcement should be taken up against the unauthorised food vendors.
Jeypore municipality executive officer Sidhartha Patnaik informed that the administration is aware about the situation. “We have already started enforcement drive and checking food license certificates in these stalls. We have even booked 24 food stall owners in different locations under the norms,” Patnaik added.