Ludhiana, May 15
Despite a ban by the District Administration on the sale of cut fruit and uncovered eatables in the city, these are being sold ‘unchecked’ in many areas, threatening human lives with contagious diseases like typhoid, cholera and gastroenteritis.
There is an abundance of rehris that sell cut fruit to tickle taste buds with seasonal fruit. Rehriwalas sell papaya, mango, watermelon, cucumber and sweet potatoes which are full of flies. There are quite a number of areas in the city like Sarabha Nagar, Kailash Chowk, Old Court’s Road, Civil Lines, Dandi Swami Chowk, Deepak Cinema Road, Bhadaur House and Industrial area, where eatables and cut fruit are being sold in the open.
Dr Manisha, a city physician said consumption of such eatables was not only dangerous, but poisonous too. She remarked that, “Pollution by hundreds of cars, scooters and three-wheelers releases harmful gases, obnoxious carbon monoxide fumes, besides raising dust in the atmosphere, which settles down on cut fruit and uncovered eatables lying in the open. There are flies and mosquitoes these days which spread diseases like gastro, typhoid and cholera.
Cut fruit, salad and uncovered food is openly being sold in every market, outside schools, cinema halls and corporate offices.
Ram Dulare, a fruit seller at the Court’s Road was not aware of the dangers of exposed food. He said nobody raised any objection against selling fruits like this. “People appreciated the taste of my fruits because I served the chilled fruit with masala sprinkled on them”, he said.
Dr Rajinder Kaur, Civil Surgeon, when asked about the sale of cut fruits, said that a number of food inspectors had been deployed in the city to check the adulterated and uncovered eatables. Several rehris and shops selling ‘unhygienic’ eatables were destroyed by the health officials as a preventive measure.
“We give them warning, but if they do not listen, their rehris are confiscated. Some fruit-sellers have made glass boxes to cover the eatables”, said the civil surgeon.
