IMPHAL, December 8: Volunteers and members of FREINDS District Council Thoubal alongwith representatives of the Thoubal Municipal Council today inspected food stalls, hotels and bakeries in and around Thoubal keithel.
Several eateries including bakeries were found floating the safety norms, and the team has set such eateries a 10-day deadline to continue according to the safety norms or be closed down indefinitely.
Today’s inspection drive was led by FREINDS Thoubal vice president Yumnam Jiten Meitei; general secretary Ch Sanatomba Meitei along with Thoubal Municipal Council MHS L Yaishkul Singh and FI S Roben Singh.
Other than checking the eateries, the team also inspected whether there were any male vendors present inside the keithel.
The team inspected the bakeries in the vicinity of the Thoubal Keithel and checked whether the food items are produced according to the mandatory food safety norms; however several hotels and bakeries were found neglecting on the food safety norms and running their eateries only for their profit.
The hotels were found in a filthy manner, while the manufactured dates pasted on the food packets by the bakeries were found one day after the actual dates.
In a bakery run by non-locals just opposite to the Thoubal Police, the food packets were found with manufactured date of December 9, although the inspection was carried out on December 8.
The items which were not sold were repacked in new plastic covers and new manufactured dates pasted.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inspection, FREINDS district council Thoubal general secretary Chongtham Sanatomba Meitei said the organization has been undertaking a movement for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit system in the state in order to check the illegal influx of non-locals into the state on a daily basis.
Side by side, the organization has also been inspecting the hotels, bakeries and other eateries if their items are produced according to the mandatory food safety norms. As part of the steps taken up, the organization conducted the inspection for the second time today and found several violations of food safety norms.
He further said that any hotels which fail to clean up their acts within 10-days will be closed immediately, he said.