JOIN USNDMC steps up drive against food stalls
NDMC has been clamping down on vendors selling food items over the past few days.
While vendors claimed this amounted to snatching their livelihood, New Delhi Municipal Council officials said the drive has been intensified to help curb infections caused by food sold in the open.
There is a ban on manufacturing and selling food items in the open, according to the NDMC Act. However, the ban is rarely enforced. The action is part of the NDMC’s ongoing drive against food stalls in areas in its jurisdiction.
However, it remains doubtful if the enforcement will be well implemented. Some vendors Deccan Herald spoke to said they usually put their stalls back at the same place after council officials go away.
“According to the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, vendors cannot cook, manufacture food in the open. The ban has been there from the beginning,” said Dr P K Sharma, medical officer with NDMC.
He said the NDMC was intensifying the ban because April to October are considered the months when epidemic diseases spread.
“The council will crack down on vendors selling food which attracts dust and flies and would expose people to infection in the summer months,” he said.
So far, NDMC has cracked down on vendors who put up stalls in Connaught Place, area around Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, AIIMS, New Madras Hotel in Lodhi Road, Maulana Azad Road, said officials.
“There is a concentration of vendors selling fruit juice and other varieties of food items around hospitals like RML, AIIMS, Safdarjung. The council is acting on these vendors as well. The other places which are being focused on are office areas like Connaught Place and the market areas in the council’s jurisdiction,” said Dr Sharma.
Vendors upset
“Council officials keep coming from time to time. I have been selling golgappas here for the last 20 years. They cannot dislodge me from this spot permanently,” said Baburam, a Paharganj resident who does not hold a licence to sell food items in Connaught Place.
Rajendra Mondal, who sells aloo chat – another food item the council wants to crack down on – echoed this. “Selling aloo chat has been my livelihood for 15 years now,” said the vendor who puts up his stall near Janpath market.
As these vendors use gas cylinders to cook the snacks, this is a safety hazard in markets.
“If the NDMC manages to enforce this ban, it would be a welcome step. Vendors manufacturing food in the open using cylinders poses safety threat to the public as well. Licensed vendors should be operating from designated spaces in the market area,” said Atul Bhargav, president of New Delhi Traders Association.
“The council officials asked us to vacate the spot. However, we put back the stalls here again. They cannot remove us permanently from here,” said Rakesh, who sells pakodas in Connaught Place.