VMC’s crackdown on pani-puri makers: 160kg material destroyed

Vadodara: Last year’s large-scale raids by Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) food safety officials on pani-puri vendors and those who make raw material for the savoury dish seem to have had little effect.
Fresh raids by the civic body on Wednesday led the civic body to over a quintal of material for the dish that was not fit for consumption.
VMC had tried to ensure that pani-puri that is believed to be a dish that is often a reason for food-borne diseases is prepared and served in a hygienic manner. After widespread raids last year, the civic body had held workshops for pani-puri vendors in the city. Recently too, it had held a workshop for street food vendors in the city.
But the drive on Wednesday, led the food safety officials to 25 establishments and houses where material for the dish was being made in an unhygienic manner.
The civic body destroyed 160kg of material that was to be used for making the dish and was unhygienic. This included rotten potatoes, gram, ‘puris’, chutney, spiced water and other material.
The drive was conducted in the Khodiyarnagar and Ganeshnagar localities in Sama as well as Khodiyarnagar on the New VIP Road.
Sources said that the conditions in which the material was being made were also unhygienic and the environment in general of these localities was unhealthy. Nine persons were issued notices to ensure that they maintained hygiene and samples of the material were also collected for analysis.