A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: Serious questions are now being raised over the alarming rise of small and large roadside shops, food stalls and temporary vendors operating in and around the premises of Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCG), one of Assam’s premier healthcare institutions.
Are these food items being prepared scientifically and hygienically? Are basic food safety norms being followed? Or are these unchecked establishments slowly turning into breeding grounds for dangerous diseases?
Dibrugarh-based youth leader and a conscious citizen, Ujjal Kashyap, has strongly condemned the situation, alleging that the uncontrolled mushrooming of such shops inside and outside the hospital premises poses a serious threat to patients, attendants and the general public.
According to Kashyap, many of these vendors operate in highly unhygienic conditions, with little or no access to clean water, proper waste disposal systems or scientific food storage methods. In several places, food items are reportedly being prepared and sold beside drains and garbage dumps, increasing the risk of food poisoning, infections and other life-threatening diseases.
The biggest question now being asked is: Who is protecting these illegal vendors? Why are the authorities of Assam Medical College and Hospital, the municipal administration, food safety department and district administration maintaining complete silence over such a sensitive issue?
Expressing deep concern, Ujjal Kashyap stated, “Certain groups are taking full advantage of weak administration and lack of monitoring. Roadsides, hospitals, educational institutions and public spaces across Dibrugarh are gradually being occupied by unauthorized vendors. If strict action is not taken immediately, the situation may soon spiral out of control.”
He further alleged that important roads, marketplaces, colleges and hospital zones in Dibrugarh are increasingly turning into encroached vending corridors, leading to traffic congestion, unhygienic surroundings and inconvenience for the public.
The issue has now triggered widespread concern among conscious citizens, many of whom believe that if even a major medical institution cannot maintain proper health and sanitation standards within its own premises, public safety itself comes under serious threat.
The district administration and the authorities of Assam Medical College and Hospital are now under scrutiny to determine if they will take concrete action or ignore the growing allegations once again.
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