Rows and rows of haleem, kebabs, double ka meetha and biryani greeting you till late in the evening during the month of Ramzan is now officially a thing of the past. Those wishing to indulge in these delicacies will have to do so in far fewer stalls on Mosque Road (popularly known as ‘Food Street’) in Fraser Town this time.
From around 150 stalls last year, food lovers will have to choose from only 16 stalls this time. These will be open only from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The space opposite the mosque that usually hosted at least 20 stalls has now been converted into a parking space.
“Only residents of the area are being permitted to set up stalls this time. Most of us are unemployed and the earnings we get from setting up these stalls will make us comfortable for the next three months,” said Amanullah, member of the Fraser Town Youth Association.
People from across the city would throng Mosque Road to savour the delicacies through the month, with the main road and the adjoining streets coming alive during the evenings, and the buzz would last till late night. But a few “untoward incidents” led to the decision to scale down celebrations.
Pulikeshinagar MLA R. Akhanda Srinivas Murthy said permission for setting up 16 stalls were given after requests from the local people. Apart from these, the 12 hotels in the area will also be dishing out food. “Complaints of people drinking in the area also surfaced. So we decided to shut the stalls by 10 p.m. and have CCTV cameras and police protection,” he said.
The news has left food connoisseurs in the city disappointed. Chaitali Bose, who moved into the city from Chennai recently, said she, “This was supposed to be my first trip and now I’m disheartened. If they are open only for six hours, it means too much crowd and too less food,” she said.
