JMC books 53 shopkeepers for adulteration

Nitesh Sangral

JAMMU, May 26: Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) on Thursday raided 260 food establishments in the city and booked 53 shopkeepers and vendors under the provisions of Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. A team of health wing led by health officer Anwar Choudhary inspected about 260 food establishments like sweet shops, cooked food dhabas, restaurants, rehries, tea stalls, milk & milk product shops, vendors, meat and chicken shops, ice cream shops, Rehries, provision stores, sugar cane juice rehries, bakery shops and rehries selling cut fruits in Indira Chowk, BC Road, Mahesh Pura, Amphalla, Rehari Chungi, Rehari Colony, Subash Nagar, Patoli, Paloura, New Plot, Janipur, Jewel Area, Bus Stand, City Chowk and Bakshi Nagar areas. The team realized an amount of Rs 14400 as fine from the defaulters and about 80 Kgs of stale cooked food, bakery products, sweets, cut fruits and 100 liters of jaljeera and 50 liters of unwholesome milk which were not fit for human consumption were destroyed on spot. The team also seized polythene carry bags from various food establishments and other outlets especially from vegetable markets in the areas of Indira Chowk, KC Chowk, Maheshpura Chowk and Janipur. All the food establishment owners are warned to adhere to the terms and conditions of PFA licenses and keep their premises neat and clean for ensuring supply of pure and good quality of food items to the customers. Meanwhile, continuing the anti-encroachment drive, the revenue staff led by Chief Enforcement Officer (Revenue) JMC visited the Talab Tillo, Bohri, Paloura, Akhnoor Road areas and seized eight rehries which were found stationary and plying without license, thereby causing inconvenience to the pedestrians and obstructing the free flow of vehicular traffic. The team also seized polythene carry bags from the various shops and outlets and realized Rs 1500 as fine from the 13 defaulters who were using the polythene carry bags.