The healthcare operation, which angered hoteliers and prominent BJP leaders like Fakirbhai Chauhan, is expected to last another 10 days, a senior civic official told Express Newsline.

Since there is a possibility of outbreak of disease after any natural calamity, the SMC had to take precautionary steps, which included sealing of unhygienic hotels and restaurants, the official said.

He claimed that in the past six days, the response from hoteliers was not satisfactory, and so they were forced to resort to more drastic measures like sealing them and making it mandatory to obtain a certificate before reopening them.

Meanwhile, continuing the operation, the civic body today appealed theatre owners to close down for three days and disinfect them before reopening to prevent ``air-borne diseases''.

Justifying the drive, Municipal Commissioner S Jagadeesan said the drive was needed to ensure that hoteliers keep their kitchens clean. He said he had directed officials to ask hotel owners to close down instead of sealing them. They have been asked to fumigate and whitewash kitchen, he said, adding they will be allowed to reopen only after civic officials are satisfied with the cleanliness measures.

Coming down heavily on the civic body, president of the Surat Hoteliers' Association Keshav Aggrawal, said ``We would have closed down, had the SMC informed us. By conducting surprise checks they seem to be seeking publicity at the cost of our reputation''.

Standing Committee member Shankerlal Chavli, too, questioned the drive.

``Such drastic measures were not taken even after the plague. If normalcy has been restored, why are the hotels being sealed? The civic chief should clarify the need behind cracking the whip, when everything was normal,'' he said.

His views are echoed by former mayor Fakirbhai Chauhan. ``The SMC should have asked hotels to conform to health and hygiene norms before sealing them.'' It is harassment and victimisation, he alleged.

However, the drive has found support from former standing chairman Narendra Gandhi and member Bakul Patel. ``It was a precautionary measure. There is nothing wrong in sealing unhygienic hotels and restaurants''.

However, those against the drive, while observing that closing down of larries had rendered 2000 larriwalass jobless, claimed that perhaps for the civic body the `Health Care operation' was more important than the problem faced by a vast floating, homeless and rootless population in the city, who depended on larries.