Karnataka Minister assures action against use of polythene sheets in Idli making

Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said that a clear message will be sent across and plastic will be banned in the food making process PTI reportedIf someone is doing it then it should be brought to our notice the minister saidAs per PTI this move comes after the minister alleged that the Food Safety Department of Karnataka found that around 52 hotels were using polythene sheets in order to prepare IdliAccording to him polythene especially the thin sheets are carcinogenic and the state government will not allow such practices in the hotel industryThe Food Safety department had collected Idli samples at 251 places across Karnataka Earlier clothes were used for cooking Idlis but we got the information that recently the hotels have started using plastic So our officers went to various spots and conducted an inquiry Rao told ANI reportersOut of 251 hotels 52 of them were found using plastic the minister said adding The hoteliers should have never done it because plastic is carcinogenic which means that it can cause cancer Those carcinogenic elements can enter IdliMaharashtra suspends state transport buses to Karnataka after attack on driverMaharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has directed the suspension of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC bus services to Karnataka following an attack on a bus and its driver in Chitradurga The suspension will remain in place until the Karnataka government clarifies its stance on the matter PTI reportsAccording to PTI the incident occurred on Friday night when an MSRTC bus travelling from Bengaluru to Mumbai was targeted by proKannada activists in Chitradurga around 910 pm The assailants allegedly blackened the face of driver Bhaskar Jadhav before physically assaulting him A case has been registered with the Karnataka police in connection with the attack PTI statesMinister Sarnaik confirmed the suspension of MSRTC services declaring that unless Karnataka authorities take a clear stand and engage in discussions with Maharashtra bus operations will not resume ldquoBus services to Karnataka wonrsquot be resumed unless the Karnataka government makes its stand clear on the issuerdquo Sarnaik statedMeanwhile on the same day a Karnataka state transport bus conductor was allegedly assaulted near Belagavi for not responding to a girl in Marathi It remains unclear whether the attack on the MSRTC bus in Chitradurga was a retaliatory act PTI reportsWith PTI inputs