Health squad issues notices to 46 hotels

Thiruvananthapuram: The health squad of city corporation issued improvement notices to 46 hotels in the city including star hotels following an inspection done in 59 hotels here on Thursday.
Six squads of health wing conducted raids in hotels located at Kamaleswaram, Manacaud, East Fort, Statue, Palayam, Thampanoor and Karamana.
The officials found out that in many hotels, the staff did not have health cards and never segregated different kinds of waste.
In a hotel at Manacaud, even the vessels used for cooking were filled with dirt and banned plastic bags were stocked in the store. The toilets in many hotels were also in a bad state.
A few hotels were found to store stale rice and even boiled egg and other cooked food items in refrigerators. The officials said that the star hotels were not found to be maintaining log books.
Another hotel stored 12 litres of cooking oil which was found to have been used repeatedly for cooking. The kitchen was also found to be badly maintained with flies buzzing around cooked food stuff in some hotels.
Waste water was found stagnant close to kitchens and the surroundings even had undisposed food waste.
Masks and caps were not worn by hotel staff in many hotels. The hotels would be given seven days for improving the conditions failing which more stringent actions would be taken.
Mayor V K Prasanth said that the health squad would continue to inspect hotels to maintain hygienic circumstances.
The corporation is set to launch Subhojanam scheme in August by which all staff working with hotels, wayside food stalls, bakeries, catering units and restaurants will be trained and issued identity cards. Medical examination will be conducted prior to the launch of the scheme.
Mayor V K Prasanth said that corporation is mulling cancellation of trade licenses for hotels which repeatedly make lapses in ensuring proper hygiene.
The officials said that one of the most disappointing aspects which was found during the raid was that none of the hotels had any system for waste management and segregation.
Even the personal hygiene of staff was overlooked in various hotels. There were also hotels where there was no proper ventilation in kitchens and machines were crammed inside narrow pathways