UP govt, Centre send over 50 food inspectors to Ayodhya

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dhabas and hotels. The state government’s food department has banned the sale and cooking of non-vegetarian food items in the city on Monday, as part of the plan. Besides this, there will be quality and safety checks for langars and bhandars organized by the Ram Mandir administration, before any food items are served to devotees.

It is estimated that thousands of people including 3,000 VVIPS such as politicians, members of Parliament, actors, ambassadors, and cricketers will gather to participate in the event on Monday to witness Pran Pratishtha, or the consecration ceremony, of the Ram Lalla idol at the temple. This follows a long battle in court between the Sunni Waqf Board for the Babri Masjid and the Ram Janambhoomi Trust, among others. In 2019, the Supreme Court awarded the disputed land to a trust for the construction of a Ram temple.

It also directs the government to allocate alternative land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque. Preparatory to Monday’s function, the government’s food safety officers are taking samples of food items from all the operators of food businesses and directing them to ensure good standards of hygiene in their kitchens. “We are in discussions with the UP government to ensure high standards of food safety in Ayodhya city.

Thousands of people are expected to gather for the event. The state government has already stationed food safety vans and food inspectors on the ground to check the quality of food," said a senior FSSAI official. The officers are also educating local food shop-owners on safety norms and personal hygiene, said the official.