No veggies, fruits to be sold in Mandi for 3 days

Tribune Reporters

Mandi, December 24

Fruit and vegetable vendors will be on a three-day protest from December 29 in the town, said CITU district president Bhupender Singh after a meeting here today.

He said fruit and vegetable vendors would hold a protest on December 29 as even after a year, neither the street vendor laws nor town vending committees had been constituted.

He said they would appeal to residents of the town to make necessary purchases in advance. He said last year, the Municipal Council had decided to give large-sized dustbins and umbrellas to vendors, but nothing had happened so far.

He said vendors were charged Rs 900 per month, whereas the MC was charging Rs 400 to Rs 500 from shop owners.

Bird flu scare: Authorities to keep vigil

KANGRA: The district authorities have directed the food safety officer and drug inspectors to keep vigil one meat and chicken shops in view of the bird flu scare in neighbouring Punjab.

Kangra District Chief Medical Officer (CMO) BM Gupta said a meeting chaired by him was held in Dharamsala yesterday and was attended by Medical Officer RS Rana, the district food safety officer, drug inspectors and other officers to discuss steps to be taken in view of the situation.

He said a video-conference meeting too would be organised in this connection in a day or so to strengthen surveillance in the district where thousands of migratory birds had arrived at the Pong Dam Lake.

The CMO said reports of the samples sent for tests were still awaited, but steps were being taken to keep vigil as a precaution.

Nearly 450 officers in charge of health sub-centres and hospitals in this district too have been put on alert to keep a tab on the health situation, Dr Gupta said.

Jawans of the SSB Training Centre at Sapri near Jwalamukhi had requested senior authorities to get meat and chicken tested before these were prepared for them as a part of their regular diet.