The street food hub around V.O.C. Park in Coimbatore city has been chosen by the Central government to be developed as a Healthy and Hygienic Food Street under the National Health Mission (NHM).
As per a communication from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare dated August 11, Elliot’s beach in Chennai, V.O.C. Park and ground side road, the street food hub at Velankanni, and the temple street food shops at Mamallapuram will be developed as Healthy and Hygienic Food Streets. Under the initiative, each street food hub will get ₹ 1 crore for modernising the area and improving facilities.
An official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said the names of the four street food hubs were chosen by a committee comprising Health Secretary, Municipal Administration Secretary, and Food Safety Commissioner, based on recommendations from each district. The list was sent to the NHM and the latter allotted a total of ₹4 crore to upgrade the four street food hubs.
With the street food hub at V.O.C. Park chosen for the project, the Coimbatore Corporation, in consultation with the district administration, will send a proposal to the State government on implementing it. Corporation Commissioner M. Prathap visited the place on Saturday and interacted with food vendors.
It is learnt that facilities including platforms for vendors, street lights, water connection, and toilets will be provided as part of the face lift.
S. Krishnan, president of V.O.C. Park Platform Vendors’ Association affiliated to the CITU, welcomed the move. “There are 89 vendors who sell food in the area, of which 56 have registration certificates from the FSSAI. We are in the process of getting registration certificates for the remaining 33 vendors,” he said.
The street food hubs at V.O.C. Park, Power House at Tatabad and Saravanampatti are the three street food clusters in Coimbatore that have received the Clean Street Food Hub accreditation from the FSSAI.
