Hawkers’ menace!

With more than 4,500 already on rolls, MBMC asks FSSAI not to register illegal street food vendors in Mira Bhayandar

Unable to implement a permanent solution towards curbing the mushrooming hawker population in the twin-city, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has now asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) authorities to stop registering illegally operating roadside food vendors. 

A central regulator operating under the aegis of the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the FSSAI in an attempt to ensure that eatables being sold are safe and unadulterated has mandated all type of Food Business Operators (FBO) including road side food vendors to obtain a license or registration.

Since its inception in 2011, FSSAI’s - Food Safety and Standards Act, which replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, has registered around 4,500 road side food vendors and eateries in the Mira Bhayandar region. As per the provisions of the act food businesses with an annual turnover below Rs 12 lakh will have to get themselves registered while those with a turnover of Rs 12 lakh and more will have to obtain a licence.

Fee for one-year registration is Rs 100, while that for licence ranges from Rs 2,000 to Rs 7,500. 

“Already armed with judicial orders pertaining to the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, scores of fly-by-night operators are using the FSSAI registration’s as a tool to establish themselves as genuine and legitimate hawkers, thus thwarting our attempts to evict them, especially from designated no hawker zones.” said an MBMC officer. To address the issue the MBMC has asked the FSSAI not to issue licenses or registration to illegally operating hawkers. “ Yes, a meeting to discuss the matter was held at the MBMC headquarters recently.

Although they have verbally asked us from restraining registration of those operating from no-hawkers zone, an official request is yet to be received.”

confirmed a Food Safety Officer. According to the Street Vendors' (protection of livelihood and regulation of street vending) Act, 2014, 2.5% of the city's population will be eligible to be vendors.