HEALTHCARE: A vendor sells panipuri at a kiosk outside an educational institution in Cuttack. Such kiosks do not follow health and hygiene standards thereby putting people’s lives at risk. Picture by Badrikanath Dash

Cuttack, July 27: The district administration and the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) have decided to put a check on the sale of panipuri and other fast food at kiosks near various educational institutions this monsoon season to prevent spread of water-borne diseases.

Besides, raids would also be conducted on various hotels, restaurants and roadside eateries to ensure that no stale or unhygienic food is served at these food joints.

Official sources said that the drive, along with an awareness campaign regarding healthy eating habits and maintaining sanitation, would be launched in the city in a couple of days.

A decision in this regard was taken at a review meeting held at the collectorate on Wednesday evening.

This came after 130 cases of diarrhoea were reported in the city in the last two months. Official sources said that around five to six cases of persons contracted with water-borne diseases were being reported on a daily basis.

“Roadside kiosks that sell panipuri and other food items do not usually maintain any hygienic standard. Hence, it has been decided to put a check on the sale of such food items near educational institutions,” district collector Girish S.N.

Girish said all hotels of the city had also been asked to install water purifiers to ensure that customers get access to safe drinking water there.

Corporation officials have also been asked to conduct raids to put a check on the sale of stale foods at various hotels and restaurants.

“Cases of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases usually increase during monsoon. So, we have decided to lay emphasis on maintaining proper hygiene standards, especially during this season,” said city health officer P.K. Pradhan.

Apart from diarrhoea, a cleanliness drive will also be launched to ensure that no case of malaria and dengue is reported this monsoon.

Pradhan said the CMC health wing usually conducted raids to ensure that no stale food was served in hotels and restaurants.

Steps would also be taken to check water contamination within the limits of the CMC, said another official.

Sources said officials of the public health department (PHD) had been directed to ensure that there remained no scope for contamination in the drinking water supply system.

The PHD will conduct super-chlorination in the next couple of days in areas where there are chances of water contamination remain because of leakage in pipelines.

The authorities will also initiate measures to disinfect tubewells, borewells and ponds in the district.

“An awareness campaign would be conducted among all schoolchildren of the district to stop eating any roadside food items, particularly in the rainy season,” said chief district medical officer S.K. Das.

Das also said parents should encourage their children to follow healthy eating habits. Packets of ORS and halogen tablets had already been dispatched to every village in the district as a measure to fight with any sudden onset of water-borne diseases, Das added.