MADURAI: The city corporation is in the process of establishing two new food streets in Madurai, for which it has sought permission from the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) to utilise an empty plot near the Bypass Road on a rental basis. Besides, the civic body has integrated a proposed food street in Mattuthavani with the new bus stand project, works for which would commence soon, said sources.
The move follows requests from street food vendors to the corporation, after approximately 400 such establishments, located along the Bypass Road between Palanganatham and Arapalayam, were cleared by the state highways department citing traffic congestion.
Corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan said, "We have written to the TNHB department to utilise the empty plot near the bridge on a rental basis. The venue can be used for operating a food street similar to the one near Kathipara Junction in Chennai." She added that the work for the second food street in Mattuthavani is set to commence soon.
The existing food street near Vandiyur Teppakulam has been a major attraction for thousands of people in Madurai, and the corporation expects that the two new projects would augment the city's leisure infrastructure.
Ward 62 councillor K Jeyachandran said, "The street food business was thriving along the Bypass Road before the highways department removed around 400 street food vendors. Instead of shifting the eateries to an alternative location, which can affect their sales, the corporation can take action to allow these food joints to operate along the service roads parallel to the bypass. The civic body can collect rent from the vendors as well."
Encouraging the civic body's move to upgrade the leisure infrastructure, M Praveen Kumar, a resident of Madurai, said, "The corporation should also take action towards addressing basic amenities such as drinking water, seating arrangements, and garbage disposal at the venues proposed for the food street projects."