Shocking! TTD EO finds rotten veggies in a hotel in Tirumala

Tirumala: TTD EO J Syamala Rao along with Food Safety department team paid a surprise inspection to Balaji Bhavan Hotel located near Koustubham guest house in Tirumala on Thursday.

The EO and Food Safety department Joint Controller and Director Purnachandar Rao verified storage, cleaning and food processing methods being carried out in the hotel. They found that most of the vegetables including potatoes, cauliflower and some groceries are putrid and become mouldy. Even hygiene and sanitation measures are found shabby.

Later speaking to the media, the EO said following a series of emails and complaints from pilgrims, that they fell ill after consuming food in the hotel, he along with the FSD team checked the hotel to find the facts. Cooking and sanitation conditions in the hotel are horrible, he asserted. “With an aim to provide pilgrims visiting to Tirumala hygienic and tasty food in all the eateries in Tirumala, more such raids will be carried out in future. If the hotels and eateries are found violating rules, stern action will be initiated against them”, he warned.

Food Safety department Director Purnachandar Rao pointed out that the hotel has completely floated food safety norms, adding that they found out that the hotel is using rotten, mouldy veggies, a day old boiled food, Public Distribution System(PDS) rice, reused oil, taste enhancer and food colour, which is also against our FSSAI norms. The kitchen will be closed immediately and after conducting thorough probe and appropriate action will be taken against the hotel, he added.

Later, the EO along with the FSSAI Director flagged off a mobile Lab, ‘Food Safety on Wheels’. The unique vehicle has a lab with necessary equipment to check food and water quality. Eighty ingredients shall be checked for its quality in this mobile lab, Purnachandra Rao added.