Goa civic body bans sale of 'gobi manchurian' at street stalls over concerns about hygiene
Panaji, Feb 6: A civic body in North Goa has banned the sale of the popular street food 'gobi manchurian' at roadside stalls in its jurisdiction after concerns were raised about the unhygienic conditions in which the dish was prepared, an official said on Tuesday.
The municipal council of Mapusa town passed a resolution last week banning the dish from being sold by street food vendors, MMC chairperson Priya Mishal said.
"Vendors operate in unhygienic conditions and use synthetic colours to prepare 'gobi manchurian'," Mishal said.
Councillor Tarak Arolkar raised the issue and suggested that stalls selling 'gobi manchurian' not be permitted during the annual fair of Shree Bodgeshwar Temple, she said.
The council unanimously passed a resolution to not permit the sale of the dish at the temple fair and later extended the ban to all roadside stalls in the MMC jurisdiction, the chairperson said.
This, however, is not the first time the dish has been red-flagged.
In 2022, the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) issued a circular to the Mormugao Municipal Council in South Goa to restrict the number of stalls selling 'gobi manchurian' during the fair of Shree Damodar Temple in Vasco.
While FDA director Jyoti Sardesai was unavailable for a comment, a senior FDA official said 'gobi manchurian' sellers use a sub-standard sauce made of a powder that contains extracts of 'reetha' (Indian soapberry).
'Reetha' is used for washing clothes, the official said.
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Dharmasthala mass burial case: Two complainants appear before SIT in Belthangady
Belthangady: Two people, Purandara Gowda and Thularama Gowda of Dharmasthala, who had earlier filed complaints in relation to the Dharmasthala mass burial case and claimed to have witnessed the burial of bodies, spoke to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials on Wednesday.
Prior to the meeting, Purandara Gowda told reporters that he used to own a shop situated on the banks of River Nethravathi. “While at the shop, I had seen bodies being buried, in all likelihood, by the anonymous witness. I have, however, seen more than one person being involved in this work at the first and 13th sites identified by the witness,” he has said.
Thularama Gowda has said that he had seen the burial of bodies at sites beyond those identified by the witness. “The SIT will be provided the information on the matter,” Gowda added.
