19 May,2011 06:32 AM IST | | Sheetal Sukhija
In a city that's overrun with eateries, there are only four food inspectors; a dozen positions in the health department of the BBMP remain vacant highlighting the apathy of civic body towards the health of Bangaloreans
The number of food poisoning and gastroenteritis cases has risen by 30 per cent in the city this year. As new eateries pop up everyday across the city, it is left to wonder what the prerequisites are when BBMP issues licenses and sanctions to allow sale of food products to the public.
It's a killer: Over 55 cases of food poisoning and gastroenteritis are
being reported at various city hospitals each day. Representation pic
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A thought that comes to the forefront, is whether there are adequate food inspectors from the department and enough funds to recruit more to carry out their respective duties.
For over four years, 12 positions in the health department of the BBMP have remained vacant. In a city with thousands of eateries, there are only four food inspectors.
Over 55 cases of food poisoning and gastroenteritis are being reported at various city hospitals each day.
Blame game
BBMP Chief Health Officer Dr L T Gayathri explains, "I have been requesting the administration office for over three years. We do not have enough food inspectors, hence such cases have gone up. I have sent many proposals to the main office, but have not received a positive response till now." While the CFO blames the administration of the BBMP, the administration department on the other hand blames the government.
"We can approve recruitments only after the government sanctions it. There are 423 positions vacant and the government told us to get a clarification from the finance department. There is something fishy going on, as the department is not willing to take the proceedings further," says V Ashok, Additional Commissioner (administration), BBMP.
All about money?
An insider from the BBMP finance department reveals on conditions of anonymity that each food inspector gets paid Rs 15,000 per month, which is more than any officials from the finance department, and hence the delay.
While the inspectors are yet to be recruited, Gayatri said, "We do not receive many complaints."
Nutritionists said that while they urge people to complain so that the number of people falling sick could be brought down, Bangaloreans merely prefer to skip the tainted joints.
Meanwhile, Jyothi Prasad, Chief Nutritionist from Manipal Hospital revealed that cases have shot up in the last five months. "Almost 70 per cent of the city eats out. Sometimes, we don't even bother where we eat from.
The problem lies at the root level. If the BBMP conducts proper tests before issuing food licenses, such a situation wouldn't have come up. Food inspectors should monitor the way restaurants store and prepare food and even food disposal should be looked into."
Medical director of Mallya Hospital, Kanchan Sanyal agrees, "We get at least 15 such cases every month and I'm sure small hospitals and clinics get more cases. Sometimes, minor symptoms can become serious when the patient does not pay proper attention. People need to be very careful about where they eat from."
While the situation has gone from bad to worse, nutritionists advise to stick to home-cooked food and avoid eating out everyday of the week. The blame baton continues to circulate along the different departments of the BBMP, but the additional commissioner promises to speed up the process.
