JOIN USFruit shops to face SDMC axe
To check the spread of water-borne diseases, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to crackdown on shops selling cut fruit and fruit juice in the open, apart from acting against other agencies that dig roads without permission from the civic body in south Delhi.
The decision was taken after the Opposition raised the issue on Monday in the special House called to discuss bad sanitary conditions in the colonies and the failure of civic body officials to implement measures to check water borne-diseases before the onset of monsoon.
“As a formality, the ban on sale of cut fruit and sugarcane juice is imposed for six months with effect from April 1. But this ban remains only on paper,” said leader of opposition Farhad Suri. “Sugarcane juice machines can be seen in every market and locality with the connivance of health inspectors. Raids are carried out to remove the hawkers selling cut fruits, but they reappear within next one or two days,” he said.
Suri added that raids are an eyewash as the hawkers are permanent source of income for the licensing staff.
The ban over sale of cut fruits remains enforced till September 30. South Corporation Mayor Savita Gupta assured the House that action would be taken against the violators in a time-bound manner.
“Officials have been directed to make sure that all shops and makeshift stalls selling cut fruit and fruit juice in open must be shut within a week,” said Gupta.
“After that if anybody is found selling such items, the licensing inspector of the area will be suspended,” she said.
“Moreover, legal action would be taken against agencies which have dug up roads for any work without taking permission from the civic body,” she added.
Blame game
Earlier, the House witnessed a blame game between the treasury and opposition benches over the issue of water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board.
While the Congress leaders highlighted the issue of lack of proper sanitation in the colonies leading to the spread of water-borne diseases, the ruling BJP councillors alleged that the contaminated water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board headed by CM Sheila Dikshit is one of the primary causes of such diseases.