The Greater Chennai Corporation will organise a festival of street food at Bougainvillea Park in Anna Nagar on Saturday.
At least 50 stalls with a variety of Chennai’s street food will be set up by vendors from various parts of the city from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Cultural events and loan mela for street vendors will be held.
“Five stalls will be set up by self-help groups. Over 25 street food stalls have been permitted. We are disbursing about 200 PM SVANidhi loans for street vendors. About ₹10,000 is given as loan at an interest rate of 7% for street vendors. We are rewarding those who have undertaken digital transaction in a large way. We have recommended more than 1.12 lakh applications from street vendors for loan in Chennai, out of which 40,000 to 50,000 have been disbursed,” said an official.
“It is open to public. People can come and have food. We are not inviting any branded companies. If there is a good response from the residents, we can think of having more such events in future. This will promote the livelihood of street vendors. We have selected a diverse group of street vendors from various parts of the city, for variety and diversity,” said the official.
Food safety officers will set up stalls to create awareness among street vendors about hygienic preparation of food and certification of food safety. The focus will be on promoting public health among consumers of street food.
Mayor R. Priya has asked residents to participate in the street food festival on Saturday.
