PANJIM: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on Wednesday cracked down on at least 17 food kiosks at Panjim market for failing to adhere to the food safety norms and hygiene.
City Mayor Uday Madkaikar informed reporters that the upcoming council meeting will discuss penalty to be imposed on the violators even as temporary suspension of their licences will be considered.
“We received complaints from the Principal of Don Bosco and the shop owners about the foul smell emanating from the vicinity. We sent our workers and got the place cleaned up but the complaints kept coming to us. This time when we inspected the place, we saw that all the food waste was dumped in the drain resulting in foul smell and breeding of mosquitoes. As such, all the kiosks are seized,” the mayor said.
The CCP will once again assign its workers to clean up the area including the drain, an exercise that will take at least a fortnight. Until then, Madkaikar said, the kiosk owners are not allowed to operate.
“In the next CCP meeting, we will decide on what action should be taken against these kiosk owners because despite collecting their garbage daily, they have been dumping the waste in the drain. They have violated all the rules required to operate their business there. We might even consider suspension of their licences. Strict action will be taken against them,” he warned.
