In a decisive move to ensure food safety across the city Siliguri Mayor Goutam Deb today announced that special inspection teams will conduct surprise visits to hotels, restaurants, eateries, and street food stalls every Friday. The inspection reports will be submitted by the following Tuesday and reviewed to determine further action.
The initiative follows a spate of public complaints particularly against biryani outlets regarding unhygienic food practices. Acting on these concerns the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) recently launched a city-wide crackdown involving the Food Safety Department and other enforcement agencies.
“The inspection teams have already detected several irregularities and action has been taken against multiple establishments including the closure of two biryani outlets,” Mayor Deb confirmed. He added that the drive will continue through June with a review meeting scheduled to assess the inspection findings and plan the next course of action.
The food safety drive intensified after disturbing reports surfaced—one from Lake Town where customers found insects in biryani meat and another similar complaint from Champasari. In response SMC teams carried out raids at the affected outlets including surprise checks around the busy Baghajatin Park area known for its dense cluster of food stalls.
During one such raid officials were shocked to find food items stored inside a toilet. When questioned the stall owner admitted that his staff had hastily moved the food there during the inspection.
Mayor Deb also announced the establishment of a food testing laboratory at Salbari aimed at expediting the certification process. “Once the lab becomes operational there will be no need to send food samples to Kolkata for analysis,” he said.