Spawning beach food stalls in Kozhikode flout regulations, cause inconvienience to visitors
Kozhikode beach's food stalls disregard regulations, encroaching on pavements, posing safety hazards with gas cylinders, and polluting the sea, despite vendors citing a lack of basic infrastructure provided by the Corporation.
Kozhikode beach's food stalls disregard regulations, encroaching on pavements, posing safety hazards with gas cylinders, and polluting the sea, despite vendors citing a lack of basic infrastructure provided by the Corporation.
Kozhikode beach's food stalls disregard regulations, encroaching on pavements, posing safety hazards with gas cylinders, and polluting the sea, despite vendors citing a lack of basic infrastructure provided by the Corporation.
Kozhikode: Food stalls on Kozhikode beach's designated food street are operating in blatant disregard of regulations. Many of these vendors have encroached upon pavements and erected unauthorised temporary shelters, making it difficult for visitors to walk freely.
Chairs and tables are sprawled across the sidewalks, topped with makeshift roofs fashioned by stringing up plastic sheets. These expansions have been carried out without due permission. Complaints abound that such unauthorized extensions not only inconvenience visitors but also detract from the natural beauty of the beach.
The plight of pedestrians doubles when the beach gets crowded in the evenings. There are also allegations that many of the stalls initially allotted by the Corporation are being sub-leased without the authorities' knowledge. Furthermore, some individuals are reportedly monopolizing multiple stalls. Paradoxically, some existing stall owners themselves complain that the business model, which often involves hiring migrant workers from other states, is undermining traditional vendors.
Currently, 92 food stalls operate on the beach. The haphazard storage of cooking gas cylinders at these stalls poses a significant safety hazard. Despite the density of stalls, the Corporation has failed to implement even basic fire safety measures to tackle an outbreak. Lacking proper facilities, vendors are directly draining contaminated water from washing utensils into the beach, causing a severe stench in the area.
However, the stall owners explain that they operate under extremely limited facilities. They demand that authorities provide them with essential infrastructure. The Corporation had initially stated that business on the beach would be permitted only within the designated food street area.
Yet, the food street itself was established without providing any basic amenities. The lack of essential facilities has plunged vendors into a significant crisis, a situation the Corporation must intervene immediately to resolve.
They also demand equal treatment for all vendors within the food street. K Rajeev, District President of INTUC, stated that Corporation authorities are failing to take action against vendors whose operations negatively impact traditional stall owners.