BENGALURU: An RTI activist has alleged that over 50 food stalls operate from footpaths in Vijayanagar although their licence issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ended in August last.
Veeresh, the RTI activist, said these stall owners use LPG to cook food on the footpaths, ignoring all safety norms.
Although only 17 vendors have been granted licence, more than 50 run their stalls on the footpaths. Of the 17 vendors, whose licence ended in August last, only seven are from Vijayanagar and Govindaraja Nagar, he said.
According to Supreme Court guidelines, vendors can only sell items such as cooked food, sliced fruits, juices, etc. No food should be cooked by such vendors. But vendors in Vijayanagar have scant respect for these guidelines. They also do business within 100 metres of places of worship, schools and colleges and hospitals, and within 150 metres of municipality markets or within 100 metres of railway stations.
Police and civic officials have not taken any action against such vendors despite several complaints. A complaint to the Lokayukta has been filed and notice issued to errant vendors. On May 11, the Lokayukta will conduct an inquiry, Veeresh said.
He said LPG cylinders on footpaths may lead to fire accidents. In some localities of Vijayanagar, the stalls and LPG cylinders on footpaths obstruct the movement of women, children and the aged.