No more hawking around

To ensure that students are not exposed to unhygienic food items being sold outside schools all year round; school administrators approach police to help evict hawkers

To ensure that students are not exposed to unhygienic food items being sold outside schools all year round; school administrators approach police to help evict hawkers

This year, schools in the city have decided to take serious note of their students' hygiene, and are gearing up to ensure roadside vendors are not allowed to hawking food items outside their gates.


Unhealthy: Health officials from BBMP have received clear instructions
from the CHO to deal with the hawkers rigidly. File pic

Based on guidelines issued by BBMP health department to create awareness amongst students about unhygienic food sold by hawkers, schools from all zones in the city plan to approach the cops to eradicate the problem.

Isabella Simon, principal of Cathedral High School, explained, "We are creating awareness amongst our students and have also approached the police to help solve the problem. Students are falling sick and this year we are going to take strict measures to eradicate the problem."

Full stop!
Health officials from BBMP have received clear instructions from the Chief Health Officer to deal with the hawkers rigidly. "We are imposing penalties on hawkers caught selling unhygienic food items on footpaths outside schools. We will also seize their carts, utensils and food items and advise them to take up alternative professions," Dr Suresh, a BBMP health officer informed.

Meanwhile, teachers from various schools claim that they have issued strict instructions to students not buy food from hawkers. Celestine Sera, Principal, St Joseph's Boys High School said, "We have two fully equipped canteens and our students have been told to carry food from home, or to buy food from the canteen. We are serious about cracking the whip on these notorious hawkers who keep reappearing outside our school, and thus have sought police help."

Cops in on action
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) T Suneel Kumar has instructed his officers likewise.
He said, "All police stations in the seven zones of the city have been informed to deal with hawker related complaints with immediate effect. Schools are also getting in touch with us to help them solve the problem. Serious action will be taken against pushcart hawkers and street food vendors who do not co-operate with the police."