You may not have easy access to your favourite, next-door street vendor soon if what the officials at the Public Health Institute (PHI) say is to be believed.
A lazy evening drive-by to Sankey Tank for some tomato masala and bhutta or a sudden stop at a golgappa-wala may no longer be possible.
In an attempt to emulate VV Puram’s bustling and popular ‘Food Street’, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has teamed up with the Bangalore Bruhat Mahanagara Palike in an ambitious project to replicate the same concept throughout the City. “We want to give a particular place in every ward for street hawkers just like VV Puram. We have already identified such areas in every ward. The plan is to keep it open from 4 pm to 9 pm or so,” says SN Nanjundaiah, chief food analyst at PHI. But the plan is still half-baked and might put many out ofbusiness. “Not all the vendors can have the same cart. We are still looking into the idea and not forcing them. We are still in talks with the BBMP. Until the discussion ends, they can continue as they are,” he adds.
In a recent press conference, food safety commissioner, SN Jayaram, told reporters that August 4 is the last date for all food operators to register as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This has sent many vendors into a tizzy. They are unsure about where to go and what to do.
“I will gladly register. Why shouldn’t I? But I don’t know where to go and what to take with me,” says Lingappa, who owns a chaat cart.
Thippeswamy had already heard about this but wasn’t sure if he had to go to the BBMP office or the PHI. Nanjundaiah has said that all the vendors will be turned away if they come to the PHI and every ward has its own Food Safety Officer to whom they have to report. He says there is a board near Anand Rao Circle with all the details. “It’s just Rs 100 and once it’s done, they can hang it on their carts and even the police won’t be allowed to harass them,” he adds.
However, most people are unaware of the deadline that has been imposed upon them. Chandrashekar, who fries bajjis for a living, looks clueless but is willing to register. While they run around for forms, the PHI says that it is better if they do everything online because there might be ‘glitches’ in the manual process. “It’s preferable if they do it online because it might get messed up manually,” says Nanjundaiah.
The PHI says that these stalls need to meet the safety conditions asked by FSSAI or else they will be fined upto Rs 5 lakh. “They should have safe and clean water of portable quality and clean containers. And they should dispose their garbage off properly,” he says.
When asked where they get their water from, Thippeswamy says, “We take water from the houses nearby. Those house owners don’t ask for money. They give it because they know us.”
“Every night before we leave, we clean up and throw the garbage in a dustbin and the Corporation picks it up the next day,” says Lingappa.
And it’s not just the fast food stalls. Even vegetable and fruit vendors are under the scanner. According to Kamalamma, who sells vegetables in the Malleswaram market, they clean up every night and keep the garbage in a heap for the Corporation but it’s the sweepers who don’t do their job. “They sweep one side of the road and don’t do the other and we get blamed,” she says.
But not everyone is as clean. The mango vendors in front of Fun World continually dump rotten mangoes on to the side of the road but blame others. “It’s not us, we give our garbage to the autos in the morning. The people who walk around with carts are the ones who throw it there,” says Raju, a vendor. But Veeramma, who sits besides him, says they dump it right next door.
Hopefully, we won’t have to travel distances and push through crowds just to eat bhel!
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