Rajibul Islam Roktim, Bogura

The heart of Bogura city is Satmatha and the sidewalks of various roads around Satmatha and in front of various schools and colleges have accumulated various types of unhealthy food items.

All kinds of food including fuska, fried puri, chicken fry, tikka, kebab, burger, sandwich, samucha, singara, potato chop, puri, piyaju, noodles, jalmuri, made 1-3 days ago, are being sold openly on the roadsides .

These foods are also made with contaminated oil and in unsanitary environment without any quality which are unfit for human consumption.

From ordinary pedestrians to school and college students, people are suffering from various types of complex diseases as a result of eating this unhealthy sidewalk food. In the initial stage stomach ache and headache occur, but later it leads to terrible illness and death.

The food sold by the hawkers standing in front of the road at the ghats, schools and colleges in the city is kept in an unsanitary, dirty environment and in a substandard condition, causing food containing bacteria. Even though such unsafe food is being sold openly day after day, although there are various agencies of the government, there is no supervision at the field level. No authority has a list of street food vendors. The activities of the Food Safety Authority, which is responsible for monitoring food quality, is also very limited in the field of street food.

Experts say there are no regulations for making and selling street food. As a result, hawkers are illegally selling substandard and unhealthy food on the sidewalks or in various streets. Where there is no awareness among the hawkers to cover the food. Malnutrition in children and the elderly as a result of such food for a long time.

Abdominal pain, headache, diarrhea, dysentery, various water borne diseases such as worms, liver problems, anorexia, jaundice and hepatitis can occur.

The experts also said that if the hawkers use glasses in their hands and muff caps on their heads to serve these foods on the sidewalk in a quality and healthy manner, and if they adopt cleanliness in the preparation and sale of food, the common people will be free from many diseases.

In this context, District Civil Surgeon Dr. Mohammad Shafiul Azam said, eating these unhealthy foods sold on the sidewalks causes stomach ache in most cases. But it is better to avoid these foods. However, we have health inspection in every district upazila and headquarters. Health education programs are also conducted. Where food should be taken, how the quality of food will be. Be warned about it. which is an ongoing process. Which can be gradually resolved. But for this common people should be aware. And in 2013 there are some Acts of Food Safety Act that the Deputy Commissioner and we are aware of some issues. However, we will implement according to the instructions of the Food Safety Authority in this regard.

Mohammad Mehedi Hasan, Assistant Director of Bogura District Consumer Rights Protection Department, said that Consumer Rights Protection Bogura has already conducted several raids in various establishments including adulterated food shops and restaurants and sealed the establishment along with collection of fines. Consumer Rights, Bogura is always ready to conduct such campaign in public interest.