Food safety authorities of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) confiscated and burned almost 1.5 quintals of unclean and expired food from stands set up close to Durga Puja pandals in the city. According to BMC officials, on Sunday, they searched pandals in Patia, Damana, Sailashree Vihar, Rasulgarh, Saheed Nagar, Jharpada, Old Town, and other areas. They seized about 80 kg of stale and unhygienic food from vendors. These searches were conducted in conjunction with the Shine team, the civic body’s enforcement squad.
Similar to this, the teams on Saturday destroyed over 60 kg of stale and unclean food during searches at pandals in Baramunda, Nayapalli, Rasulgarh, Saheed Nagar, Jharpada, etc. In the meanwhile, “Swachhata” kiosks have been set up in six significant pandals, including Rasulgarh, Baramunda, Nayapalli, Jharpada, and Saheed Nagar, according to BMC officials. The purpose of these kiosks is to educate merchants and guests on topics like as waste segregation, safety and hygiene, and twin-dustbin regulations.
All 185 of the city’s pandals now have informational stands on “Swachhata” initiatives for people, according to BMC officials. Garbage is removed from big pandals three times a day, according to BMC officials, who are aware of the amount of rubbish created in the pandals. To maintain the area tidy, garbage is removed from little marketplaces next to pandals in the morning, afternoon, and night. In addition, the vendors and puja committees have been requested to make sure that rubbish is disposed of in dustbins next to the food stands.