Tiruchi City Corporation’s ‘Food Street’, meant to bring street vendors under one roof on a plot earmarked near Uzhavar Sandhai at Anna Nagar, is yet to take off, despite a detailed project report (DPR) being prepared for the hub.
The civic initiative, like many in Tiruchi, has been delayed due to elections. “All the required paperwork has been completed with regard to the food street, but inauguration of the work may be deferred due to the Model Code of Conduct being in place ahead of the elections. We hope to gain greater clarity in a few months,” a senior official told The Hindu.
The flagship project with a budget of ₹2 crore, underwent a design change last year, to make it more user-friendly. In the new layout, around 25 food stalls would be set up and vendors can book their spots for an approximate rent of ₹10,000 each. A compound wall and dedicated seating areas for customers are part of the layout plan.
Street food vendors have been facing the heat of late, with over 60 push carts and mobile food outlets evicted by the Corporation for causing traffic congestion on the city’s roads in recent months.
The Food Street was touted as an alternative to the random grouping of eateries with emphasis on hygienic and upgraded facilities.
The Uzhavar Sandhai ground close to which the Food Street is supposed to come up is used as stockyard by the contractor executing the underground drainage scheme. Many residents feel that the project is unlikely to take off until the site is cleared of the material used for the underground drainage project.
