KARAIKAL: On discovering that vendors near the Lord Shani temple in Thirunallar, despite several warnings, have been continuing the practice of reselling food items to devotees — originally handed out to alm-seekers — the Puducherry food safety department is mulling over banning them from the temple’s vicinity.
On Saturday, a team of officials from the food safety department and the Food Cell police tested food samples sold at stalls on Nalan Kulam Street, next to the Dharbaranyeswarar temple. They found at least eight vendors, including seven women, selling stale food. On inquiry, the officials found the food was bought from alm-seekers for a cheap price, who in turn received it from devotees. The team seized dozens of food packets containing sesame rice, curd rice and tamarind rice from the vendors.
“Some of these vendors did not even carry permits. We will book the vendors under the Food Safety Act. We will also move to ban such vendors,” said M Ravichandran, from the Puducherry food safety department.