Pani puri lovers in Cuttack beware! You might be consuming contaminated food

The mouth watering delicacy, pani puri came under the scanner of the Cuttack civic body yet again on Saturday.

Cracking whip on the unhygienic street food vendors, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Saturday raided the homes of pani puri sellers in the Silver city and destroyed many contaminated puris and its stuffing.

As per reports, following complaints, a team of CMC officials led by the chief health officer, Satyabrata Mohapatra raided the pani puri sellers at Shankarpur area in the city in the wee hours of Saturday.

The officials destroyed puris weighing many kilos after examining their quality.

Speaking to the reporters, Mohapatra said, “These sellers were under our scanner after multiple complaints over the unhygienic condition under which the puris were being made.”

“We raided their homes early in the morning because otherwise they would have left for the market and it would be impossible for us to track them,” he added.

The CMC has plans to train these vendors in manufacturing their food items in a healthier way. “We will bring them into the main stream and train them in food handling and safety, so that they will be able to sell them in a standardized manner,” said Mohapatra.

Earlier on April 5, the CMC had conducted a surprise inspection of lassi kiosks to check the quality of items being used in the preparation of lassi and other drinks.

During the inspection, the team had found certain lapses which might adversely impact the health of those consuming such traditional drinks at the stalls.

As for the taste of pani puri, it's the mouthwatering hot and spicy tamarind water and that mashed potato which almost burns off your tongue and might leave you in tears as well. The tingling sensation of extreme pleasure in the gastrointestinal tract makes people love it so much.