Ever wondered what could be the secret ingredient in the yummy pani puri that you eat by the roadside stalls? Well we know about the one in Ahmedabad at least, and it was something quite unexpected and unacceptable – a toilet cleaner! A vendor near Ahmedabad’s Lal Darwaja area was convicted after the police found proof of tampering with the tamarind water used in the pani puri.
Pani puris are kind of fired hollow puris that form the shell to carry a spicy curry and lip puckering tamarind water inside that makes them so delicious. One of the biggest street food sellers, pani puris are found in every lane corner throughout India. But with vendors now taking on such tactics to enhance the pungency of the water, seems like people may soon be wary of it. Chetan Marvadi, the accused in question has been mixing toilet cleaner in his tamarind water for a long time to enhance the taste of the water. A complaint was also filed back in 2009 when some customers complained about the unhygienic situation at his stall.
According to a report published in the Gujarati daily Nav Gujarat Samay, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation received complaints from the residents of Lal Darwaja about the questionable taste of the pani puris and also claimed the road next to his stall was damaged because he threw the leftover water on the road. Finally the corporation collected samples of Chetan’s food and sent it to lab for testing wherein it was confirmed that oxalic acid, a dangerous concoction used in toilet cleaners, was indeed present in the tamarind water. A complaint was immediately filed and after 7 days of trial, Chetan went behind bars last Saturday for a sentence period of seven months.
Moral of the story, check where your toilet cleaner is coming from – your supermarket or the street vendor!
