The growing number of unhygienic roadside eateries and fast-food shops at Central Bus Stand has raised questions about health hazards to regular eaters.
Till a year ago, there were just 10 road side eateries at the bus stand. The number has almost doubled over the last few months. Initially, they were transacting business near the two-wheeler parking stand. Now, eateries have come up along V.O. Chidambaram road and it is set to extend further in the near future.
Though opinion is divided over the question of removing the eateries, many citizens share common opinion on unhygienic methods being followed by the eateries for preparing, cooking and serving food to the passengers and bystanders.
They prepare food items in highly polluted environment and open spaces. They serve hot food items on plastics covered with polythene papers.
In the initial days, the road side eateries preferred to sell vegetarian food items, particularly idly and dosa. Now, several non-vegetarian food stalls have sprung up apparently to cash in on the changing pattern of food culture among people particularly youngsters. They transact business at 6 am to 11.30 pm.
The area becomes extremely busy in the evening and night as the eatery owners want to cater to the need of long distance travellers, who prefer to travel in the night.
The food sellers, who seem to have poor awareness on hygienic aspects of food preparation, prepare food items in open. Some of them commonly use non-permitted colouring agents. Questions are raised on quality of oil and water. Some of the eateries are functioning very close to the places, where passengers pass urinals in open. They also dump food waste and leaves indiscriminately on road.
“I am not affordable to dine at restaurants. Hence, I prefer to eat at road side eateries as food rates are cheap. But, I am worried over eating poor hygienic food items,” said A. Mohammed Abuthahir, a Chennai bound passenger of Tiruchi, who had dinner at a road side eatery at the Central Bus Stand a few days ago.
While agreeing that the quality of food items could not be equated with restaurants, an eatery owner said that they had to function on 25 to 50 square foot space. “It is very difficult to prepare quality food in a small space. However, we prepare hygienic food as much as possible,” he said.
Emphasising the need for ensuring hygiene at road side eateries, Dr. M.A. Aleem, former Vice Principal, K.A.P. Viswanatham Medical College, said that food contamination might lead to dysentery, cholera and jaundice. The use of poor quality of oil and artificial colouring agents should be prevented.
