Report

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) in Surat, Guajrat is launching a focused nighttime sanitation and hygiene drive targeting food courts that operate late into the night. Scattered across the city, these hubs house multiple food stalls and serve large volumes of prepared food.

Health Teams to Enforce Hygiene Standards

Unlike previous irregular checks, this initiative follows a more structured approach. Health teams will inspect stall hygiene, verify employee medical certificates, and ensure all workers wear clean clothing. Teams will also check whether vendors dispose of waste properly and separate dry and wet waste. Sanitary inspectors will fine stalls found littering in food courts or violating waste disposal rules.

Results from Recent Night Checks

This move follows a sanitation inspection that began on April 13, running from 10 PM to 2 AM. During the operation:

• The team inspected 902 establishments, including 298 tea stalls, 340 cold drink shops, 150 pan vendors, and 123 other outlets.

• Officials fined 210 businesses for hygiene violations, collecting Rs 8.75 lakh in penalties.

• The team confiscated 450 kg of banned plastic and destroyed 564 kg of unsafe food.

Even if a shop was closed, inspectors took photos of trash around the premises and imposed fines based on the evidence collected.

Focus: Clean, Safe, and Responsible Street Food

SMC drive aims to ensure that vendors take responsibility for their cleanliness practices—especially during late hours—ultimately protecting public health and food safety.

Source: The Times of India