Street food, anyone?

With the PMs letter to all CMs directing them to implement a national policy for urban street vendors, we find out what Bangalore's street-foodies think...

With the PMs letter to all CMs directing them to implement a national policy for urban street vendors,
we find out what Bangalore's street-foodies think...

Looks like our Prime Minister has a soft spot for street food. He's taken up the cudgels for them requesting chief ministers of states to implement a national policy for urban street vendors so they can peacefully earn their livelihood.u00a0

We asked Bangaloreans what they feel about Manmohan Singh favouring street vendors. With the swine flu pandemic, will people feel safe eating from the roadside? This is what they had to say:

It's good, we'll eat: Street vendors across the country now have a new fan, our Prime Minister

Padmini Muddya, human resource
Manmohan Singh's plans of improving the livelihood of street vendors is definitely a good idea as it would provide job opportunities for many poor people.

The street vendors do not earn enough now as they have to pay the local officials but if it is legalised it would definitely help them earn better.

Swine flu or no Swine flu people still eat from roadside vendors; they flock to the roadside chaat shops and are quite comfortable eating from them.

Allocating spaces on footpath for street vendors would surely increase their business as the space would be cleaner and that would help the vendors get more customers.

There will always be a small group of high class people who would not consider eating from the roadside. But there will still be enough people to eat from the roadside and give street vendors enough business.
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Abhay Shetty, literature student
Encouraging street vendors and making roadside shops legal is awesome.

Instead of paying a high price for a juice from a shop, if I could get the same thing from a roadside vendor I would definitely buy it from the roadside. If vendors are going to be legalised and given spaces then definitely it would be more hygienic. It would help more vendors to do business and earn enough for their living as they would not have to worry about officials trying to loot them.

It would be great if the vendors are also taught about hygiene as it would be of additional help to both the vendors and customers.
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Dr Siga Arles, theological professor
The whole act of legalising street vendors is a good thing if it does not cause public nuisance.

If the government is really willing to legalise footpath vendors then the government should provide these vendors with provisions like proper shaded space on the footpath to set up their stalls, as these vendors cannot afford to rent a place.

It would protect the vendors from sun and rain and also would be more hygienic. This will benefit the vendors in terms of their livelihood; it would also help the consumers in terms of availability and affordability.
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Karuna Subbaraman, research associate:
Legalising roadside vendors and allotting a place for them on the footpath is definitely a good thing, because I feel it would empower the street vendors.

These vendors are actually serving consumers and not causing menace, so I don't see anything wrong in legalising them. This would actually help a lot of people make a decent living without having to bribe officials out of the meagre amount they earn.

As far as hygiene is concerned it is a personal choice. I have a few favourite roadside shops that I eat from and I love it.

I also avoid a few shops. Roadside vendors are doing well on their own. They would definitely identify the reason if their business is not doing good and change the quality and if need be, the location, all we can do is provide them with an opportunity.u00a0u00a0
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Mariam Lal, psychology student
I am all for Manmohan Singh's idea for encouraging street vendors. I really like shopping from the roadside; you find so many cute things. I personally feel that shopping in malls is irritating. If the street vendors are legalised there is nothing like it, poor chaps will not have to fear any officials and can have a better living. I also feel that it would bring down the crime rate, because it would encourage people to start their own business instead of stealing.
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Vimal Samuel, English editor:
It is definitely a good thing to legalise street vendors, as it would help their livelihood.

It would be great if it's organised well as the footpaths are already crowded. There are a lot of people who can afford only roadside stuff so this would benefit them a lot. From the hygiene perspective, I personally don't care. I don't eat from roadsides that often but whenever I do I don't really think about hygiene.

It is cheap and sometimes it's great, so why should anyone complain?