Sixty-two pilgrims taken ill in Puri

Odisha Channel Bureau Puri, Jan 7: Sixty-two pilgrims, including many children and aged women, were affected by diarrhoea in this coastal Odisha town here today.The pilgrims were taken ill after consuming water bottles sold to them by the lodging house owner.The condition of six is stated to be serious.They have been admitted to the district headquarters hospital located in the town.According to the police, 90 pilgrims from Belgharia, Paikpada, Mahesh Tal and Thakurpur villages of West Bengal came on pilgrimage and stayed in an unregistered lodging house situated at Goudabada Sahi near the sea beach. They were supplied drinking water by the hotel staff.After drinking the water they all started vomiting and had loose motion.The lodging house owner, to suppress the incident, provided them with some tablets.Six of them including a minor child became serious.Locals and the pilgrims shouted against the lodging house owner and police came in.The police informed the health officials and sent seriously affected to the hospital.Meanwhile, a medical team reached the lodging house and the affected were being treated there.A temporary health care system was erected to deal with the situation.Health Department officials were camping at the lodging house supervising the treatment of the affected pilgrims.This is the second such incident in a week where the innocent pilgrims became victims of greedy hotel owners.Earlier, 140 pilgrims staying in another unregistered lodging house were affected by diarrhoea and were hospitalised.A thorough investigation by experts revealed that pilgrims were provided stale food, polluted water and sanitary condition in the lodging house was unfit for human use.In both the cases it was found that these were not registered.Pilgrim brokers along with the owner were running these illegal facilities.The police found that these lodging houses did not record the names and IDs of the boarders.Swati Dutt a pilgrim alleged that they were sold fake water bottles by the staffs at a high price.The sea beach police inspector Pravat Chandra Sahu said no complaints were lodged and police would take action if the administration files a complaint.