Wednesday, May 30, 2007

MORE ARRESTS BY SIKKIM POLICE ON LPG ISSUE


GANGTOK: Sikkim Police has begun its crackdown on illegal use of domestic cylinders in commercial establishments.
Following the recent detention of Quick Bite fast food outlet’s proprietors from Gangtok, the Police with officials from the Food Department have started conducting similar raids in all four Districts.
Five more cases were registered with the Sadar Police on May 28 against proprietors of five hotels here in Gangtok. A case against the proprietor of Wangla Restaurant and Bar, Deorali has been registered following a written complaint from GB Subedi, Senior DCSO, East, Food Department. With the confiscation of two domestic cylinders from Wangla Restaurant and Bar, the proprietor Man Bir Limboo (48), resident of Selep Tanki, Gangtok was arrested from his residence.
On the same day, two domestic cylinders were seized from Bishal Hotel at Deorali, three each from Hotel Regent at Pani House and Hotel Central on national highway 31A and another three from Hotel Blue Star at DPH Road all in Gangtok. A case was also registered against proprietor of Mayur fast food located at PS Road, Gangtok.
The SDPO Rangpo Sonam Bhutia with OC Rangpo BB Subba and OC Singtam Solomon Rai raided several hotels at Rangpo, Singtam and Mazitar arresting 8 persons and seizing 16 domestic cylinders from commercial food outlets and hotels.
The raid led to the arrest of KB Gurung, proprietor of Hotel Mangolian at Mazitar, Sashi Gurung of Hotel Oasis at Mazitar, Dilip Chettri of Hotel Hunger Spot at Mazitar, Sukhdev Subba of Hotel Basundhara at Singtam, Sukhdev Prasad proprietor of Sweet Parlour in Singtam, Hussain Ansari of a meat shop at Singtam, including three arrests from Rangpo Bazaar under Section 7 of Essential Commodities Act 1955.
The raids also revealed unhygienic conditions of kitchen areas in the hotels compelling the Police to register several cases under Section 269/ 273 of the Indian Penal Code (negligently doing any act known to be likely to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life and selling any food or drink as food as and drink knowing the same to be noxious). During the raids the Rangpo, the Police also recovered 12 bottles of Corex syrup from a hotel in Mazitar.
Raids were also conducted in West Sikkim under PI Sonam Bhutia and his team which led to the arrest of three persons. At Soreng, Dinesh Gupta, Parash Bhagat and Tendup Sherpa, proprietors of three food outlets were arrested and one domestic cylinder each seized from them. Cases has been registered against them under the same Section and Act.
At Mangan in North Sikkim, the SP North led a team for a general checking of various hotels and restaurants in the area which led to the arrest of four persons -Rajeshwar Prasad, Bharat Chaudhary, Sambhu Shah and Md Uli Alam of Mangan Bazaar.
The Mangan arrests were for operating from unhygienic kitchens. 12 more hotels and restaurants were handed challans under Section 19 of Sikkim Trade Rule 1985