Stale food seized from seven hotels

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Corporation seized stale food from several hotels coming under the Sasthamangalam and Palayam Health Inspector Office circle on Tuesday. While the Health squad raided 12 hotels, it was in seven hotels that stale food was found being served or used.  According to a press statement from the Corporation, the squad has served notice on seven hotels - Hotel Saya, Ambalamukku; Nirapara Hotel, Ambalamukku; Hot and Fast, Ambalamukku; Biriyani Veedu, Ambalamukku; Happy Restaurant, Peroorkada; Arifa Hotel and De Paris, Palayam.  The Health Standing Committee of the Corporation had formed two squads to conduct random checking on the quality of food and cleanliness in small hotels in the city. For the convenience of the squads, the city was divided into North and South areas.While the squad led by Biju (as convenor) has been asked to track down hotels in the South, the squad led by Mohanan has been given the charge of hotels in North. It was the South squad that carried out the exercise on Tuesday. ‘’The hotels will be served notice. They have to reply in two weeks. Or else, we will move to the next step, that of cancelling the licence,’’ said Pushpalatha, Health Standing Committee Chairperson. The hotels were also found to be short of cleanliness and lacking proper waste management methods. The Health Committee, a few weeks earlier, had asked the small hotels to prepare themselves for the squad or face action. Officials said that the checking would continue in the days to come, especially with Onam round the corner.