The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) conducted surprise inspections at hotels and restaurants in the city on Wednesday, finding sanitation and food-preparation deficiencies at several establishments and imposing fines on three hotels, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle.
The inspection drive was ordered by VMC commissioner H.M. Dhyanachandra and was carried out by public health department officials across KT Road, BRP Road and Governorpet. The teams inspected several establishments, including Minerva, Vegitreat and Madina hotels, as part of an enforcement exercise focused on hygiene and food safety standards.
Officials reported finding kitchens without tiled flooring, mould on walls and unhygienic surroundings. They also noted poor drinking water quality, improperly maintained toilets and food being prepared in unsanitary conditions. The reported deficiencies relate to basic sanitation requirements in commercial food establishments and the conditions in which food and water are handled for customers.
Hotel Srinivasa, Chintala Vari Bhojanam and Aithe Biryani were each fined ₹2,000 for violations, bringing the total penalties imposed during the drive to ₹6,000. The report did not specify whether the fines related to separate violations at each establishment or whether any food items were seized or discarded during the inspections.
Jathar Mandi Hotel was found to be compliant with hygiene norms during the checks. Notices were issued to two other hotels, directing their managements to correct the deficiencies within the stipulated period. The establishments were not identified in the report.
The municipal authorities warned that failure to comply with the directions could lead to legal action, including cancellation of trade licences where necessary. The warning places the inspections within the corporation’s broader responsibility to enforce sanitation and public-health requirements in food-service establishments operating in the city.
The drive was conducted by sanitary supervisors D. Somaraju and Saleem Ahmed, sanitary inspector Kota Gopayya, ward secretary Rahul and other public health department staff. Their participation indicates that the inspections involved ward-level municipal personnel as well as the corporation’s public health machinery.
The inspections come as local authorities seek to ensure that hotels and restaurants maintain safe premises, drinking water facilities and toilets alongside hygienic food-preparation areas. The available report does not state how many establishments were inspected in total, whether follow-up checks have been scheduled or whether the two establishments served with notices have completed corrective work.
The VMC’s next reported step is to monitor compliance with the notices and take further action against establishments that fail to rectify the identified deficiencies within the stipulated time. Authorities have stated that continued violations could result in legal action and, where required, cancellation of trade licences.
