Sambalpur, Oct. 18: The municipal corporation has launched a drive to check the sale of unhygienic food in the city. As part of the drive, employees of the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation have already destroyed 2.51 quintals of unhygienic food in the past five days.

"During Durga Puja, the city receives thousands of revellers every day. We have launched the drive to check the sale of unhygienic food during the festival," said food safety officer of the corporation Rudra Pratap Mandal.

The civic body has formed a special squad for the drive, which was launched on October 13.

"We will continue the drive till the end of Durga Puja," Mandal said.

"Apart from destroying unhygienic food, we are also issuing notices to the shops that are violating the food safety norms," he said.

"We have launched the drive to check the hygiene and quality of the eatables. We are also asking the sellers to cover the food properly, use gloves and keep the surroundings clean," said a member of the squad.

Residents of the city, which had witnessed a severe outbreak of jaundice a few months ago, have praised the civic body for the move.

"Contaminated food was one of the major reasons behind the outbreak of jaundice in Sambalpur. Several restaurants and eateries do not cover the food properly and hygiene is the last thing on their priority list. Moreover, they do not wash the utensils properly. I am happy that the corporation has initiated steps to check the sale of unhygienic food during the festive period," said local resident Yoshobanta Dash.