Littering mars Kozhikode beach food street soon after opening

The evenly placed colourful food carts and seating arrangements amid the greenery at the Food Street on Kozhikode beach had been the talk of the town soon after it was opened on October 21 by Local Self-Government Minister M.B. Rajesh. But the focus shifted from aesthetics to the lack of it within a day, with videos of the street covered in garbage going viral on social media. The Kozhikode Corporation was forced to take matters into its own hands and clean up the space on a war footing, but no action could change the public’s lack of civic sense.

The Food Street on Kozhikode beach is the first of its kind in the State, set up under the joint aegis of the Food Safety department, National Health Mission, and the Kozhikode Corporation. The push carts that were spread across the beach, selling a variety of food products, have been replaced by specially designed colourful bunks. Moreover, they have been aligned along Beach Road so that the beach is completely vacant and free of garbage. As many as 90 food carts are operating on the 240-metre stretch. They are set up on raised platforms with seating areas provided for visitors. The vendors were selected from the Corporation’s approved list of street vendors. All unauthorised vendors were, meanwhile, evacuated.

Though hailed as a model project, the food street became a headache for the civic body due to the alleged irresponsible behaviour of visitors. “The vendors had offered free food on the day of the opening, and the public poured in to sample it. The resultant chaos was the reason for the street turning dirty,” officials in the Corporation’s health wing said.

The Corporation has a Food Street management committee in place with a manager and cleaning workers under it. “We have roped in an agency to clean the beach throughout. The street manager, a retired sub-inspector of police, will be in charge of the street. The cleaning workers will keep advising the public not to litter,” said P. Diwakaran, welfare standing committee chairman of the Corporation.

There are also plans to set up an announcement system at the beach, urging visitors not to litter.