Title - Chennai Corporation seals catering for cooking food in unhygienic conditions

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation today sealed a building terrace where food was being prepared for the Railway's catering service, in the presence of sewerage water around.The civic body's health department officials got a call from a family living on Veerasamy Street in Egmore, complaining about a stench of rotten food and excreta coming in from their neighbour's house. When officials when to inspect the place, they found a large group of people on the terrace preparing a meals for two catering companies who were on a contract with the Railways. "These people were found cutting vegetables, cooking meals and putting into packing boxes. All around we saw raw sewerage water flowing out of a pipe," revealed a health official.They were supplying meal boxes to R& Co and C K K catering services, who supply meals on the Kerala-bound Guruvayoor Express and Madurai-bound Vaigai Express trains.The business run by Siva (35) also did not have any permission from the civic body to run a business or prepare and supply food for public. The Corporation officials felt food prepared in such unhygienic conditions could cause an outbreak of communicable diseases to its consumers. Corporation commissioner D Karthikeyan immediately ordered them to seal the building and inform the railways. The railways said, once they receive a formal letter they will cancel contracts with these two catering agencies.