West Bengal orders strict monitoring of non-veg food in hospital

Kolkata: Following the busting of a racket in selling rotten meat, West Bengal Health Department on Tuesday instructed district health officials to intensify monitoring of non-vegetarian food served in state-run hospitals, a senior official said.

"Chief Medical Officers of Health of all districts have been directed to monitor non-vegetarian food and raw meat supplied/served in state hospitals on a regular basis. The condition of food items needs to be checked before it enters hospitals," said Ajay Chakraborty, West Bengal`s Director of Health Services.

"No written circulars have been issued yet. It is more of a verbal caution to authorities concerned to be extra careful," he said. 

The Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department too has instructed all poultry owners to send regular reports on the condition of poultry and warned of strict actions if dead birds are found on poultry farms during inspections, an official said.

The unearthing of the racket in the sale of carcass meat collected from dumps to hotels and departmental stores in Kolkata and adjoining suburbs has shocked the common man and forced state authorities to raid eateries in and around the city.

Police seized nearly 20 tonnes of animal meat last week from a cold storage in north Kolkata that was meant to be supplied to departmental stores and hotels, and arrested 10 persons.

Police was trying to prepare a detailed list of departmental stores and eateries where such meat was supplied while looking into an international angle to the racket, amid suspicion that the rotten meat was supplied also to neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Nepal, a police source had said.

Carcass meat was collected from different dumps in and around the city and stored in cold storage. From there, it was supplied to city restaurants and departmental stores.

Four days ago, eight persons were arrested for alleged involvement in trade of rotten chickens.