Roadside eateries in high risk areas to be shut down

Mayor’s suggestion of licensing system met with resistance

Health Standing Committee chairperson says there is no information on where food in roadside eateries is prepared.

Unhygienic roadside eateries ( thattukadas ) in areas found prone to epidemic outbreaks within the Corporation limits will be removed immediately.

Mayor Soumini Jain entrusted the health standing committee with taking necessary action in this regard at a council meeting on Saturday convened at the direction of the State government to discuss ways to prevent and contain the outbreak of epidemics.

“The District Medical Office has identified Mullassery Canal Road, T.D. Road, Market Road, Convent Junction, Vaduthala, Pachalam, Ponnurunni, Kaloor, two railway stations and areas near the High Court as high risk areas,” said Ms. Jain.

Earlier, Ms. Jain’s observation that a licensing system should be introduced, limiting the number of roadside eateries to around 100 to 150, met with stiff resistance from the ruling and opposition councillors.

Leader of Opposition K.J. Antony took umbrage at the number and wondered how licensing system could be introduced for roadside eateries.

He had earlier demanded the closure of all unhygienic

thattukadas for two months in view of the outbreak of epidemics.

‘Huge profits’

Works Standing Committee chairman P.M. Harris said that the eatery operators were not small players, and some of them reaped huge profit by running multiple units. He accused health inspectors of never inspecting the roadside eateries and asked Ms. Jain not to be protective of them.

Health Standing Committee chairperson V.K. Minimol said there was no information on where the food in roadside eateries was prepared. “Operators of some parking lots in the city rent out the space for running thattukadas in the evening,” she said.

Councillor C.D. Valsala Kumari said the roadside eateries often collected water in big unhygienic cans. Another councillor Sudha Dileepkumar demanded that eateries erected over drains should be immediately removed.

Ms. Jain, who was annoyed by the allegation that she was protecting roadside eateries, said the units could be banned. “The licensing system and permissible number of thattukadas were suggested as food for thought for the council to debate on. The conditions for issuing licenses should be discussed by the council,” she said.