Could there be anything more delightful and exciting for the foodies in Odisha's capital city, than the reopening of the food hubs at Khao Gali? Yes, you heard that right! The makeshift food stalls at the Khao Gali, the famous 'Eat Street' near Ram Mandir in Bhubaneswar, have been allowed to reopen again after a brief lull, albeit with conditions.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allowed street food vendors to reopen food trucks/hubs at Khao Gali, days after shutting the food street citing lack of hygiene measures and other violations.
The reopening has been allowed but with certain conditions. BMC has reportedly set 22 conditions, which the street vendors need to adhere to if they want to reopen their stalls.
The street vendors will have to deposit a sum of Rs 25000 as security. Also, they will have to pay a monthly rent of Rs 6000 to the authorities. The decision of BMC has been criticised by the denizens who have questioned on what grounds did the civic body decide to let a market run on a public road and then charge rent for the same?
Parking in the zone is another issue which needs to be addressed. If there are 20 food trucks, at least 40-50 vehicles including four wheelers of the connoisseurs would be found parked on either side of the road, which might lead to traffic woes again, expressed locals.
The vendors need to abide by the BMC rules if they want to run their business on the stretch without any hassle.
The irony here is ‘Khao Gali’ which was shut over hygiene measures, was in December last year declared as ‘Clean Street Food Hub’ by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Hope the standards are maintained this time.
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