The Bidar City Municipal Council has closed 16 vegetarian and non-vegetarian hotels here following fears that contaminated food or water may be responsible for the outbreak of cholera and gastroenteritis in the district. Bidar has topped the list of districts that have reported cholera and gastroenteritis incidence in the State, with over 1,000 cases being registered in the last three months. Doctors say that there has been one suspected death and four confirmed cases of cholera, while the others have been gastroenteritis cases largely.
Municipal Commissioner B. Basappa and other officials visited hotel premises and inspected material and process for cleanliness and hygiene. “None of the 16 hotels that we inspected followed the full check-list of the Municipal Council’s cleanliness standards,” Mr. Basappa said.
According to him, periodic cleaning of tables, kitchen and premises is among the primary concerns. However, not a single establishment is following all of these. Only a few are following most of these guidelines, Mr. Basappa said. He issued notices to all hotel owners and sought detailed replies. He said that they had received clear instructions from the district in-charge Minister Eshwar Khandre and Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari to take action against unclean eateries. All roadside eateries have been closed for the same reason, he said.
However, residents complained that the action taken by the Municipal Council has come late. Municipal officials had not taken any action. They have closed hotels without giving them notices. They should have acted during the summer, and warned the hotels to prepare for the monsoon, said Revanasiddappa Jalade, activist.
