Municipal officials close 16 hotels in Bidar

The city municipal council has closed 16 vegetarian and non-vegetarian hotels in Bidar city 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 cholera and GE infested districts in the State, with over 1,000 cases being registered in the last three months. Doctors say there has been one suspected death and four confirmed cases of cholera while the others have been GE cases largely.

CMC Commissioner B. Basappa and other officials visited the hotel premises and inspected their materials and process for cleanliness and hygiene. “None of the 16 hotels that we inspected followed the full checklist of CMC’s cleanliness standards,” Mr. Basappa said.

According to him, periodic cleaning of tables, kitchen and premises is among the primary concerns. Other conditions include use of clean water, use of uniforms, gloves and hair nets by workers, perishable items to be kept refrigerated, workers should was hands with soap and hot water, each eatery should have toilets and they need to be cleaned regularly. Hotels should be well-ventilated and there should be no flies, cockroaches, rats or lizards in the kitchen. Waste generated by the hotel should be properly managed according to standards set by the State government. However, not a single establishment is following all of these. Only a few are following most of these guidelines, Mr. Basappa said.

He has issued notices to all the hotel owners and sought detailed replies. He said 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, some residents complain the CMC is acting at the last moment. They alleged that CMC officials had remained blind to all this till now. They have closed hotels without giving them notices. They should have acted in summer, and warned the hotels to prepare for the monsoon, says Revanasiddappa Jalade, activist.