The city’s street-food culture has, for long, run into a difficult question: where can vendors sell without taking over the space meant for pedestrians and vehicles?
For years, the tussle between street vendors and the corporation has played out on the city’s roads and footpaths.
Now, with roadside food stalls and food trucks multiplying, complaints over blocked footpaths, parking, waste and traffic are growing too.
The corporation’s recent action against unauthorised stalls along the Kuravankonam-Kowdiar stretch, in the Paruthippara area near MG College and in Palayam has brought the question back into focus: if these vendors are pushed off the streets, where do they go?
The answer is not straightforward. For many who cannot afford a conventional commercial space, a cart or ‘thattukada’ is the first rung on the ladder to running a business.
“For a shop, you need a minimum investment of around `10 lakh, while the advance itself can be `3-5 lakh. That is why we started small and are trying to build something of our own,” says Sojan R, whose cart in Kuravankonam was shut down in August.
Sojan quickly adds that vendors are not against regulation. What has frustrated them is being asked to vacate spaces without being given an alternative.
“Most of us used to park on the road like any other vehicle and do business without causing any disruption. We were paying the full-day parking fee. But one day they came and said we could not do it there,” he says.
“We all agree that a licence is necessary. But when we applied, they said around 3,000 applications were already pending. They are not giving us an alternative either.”
The issue, then, is not simply about clearing footpaths and roads. It is also about finding legitimate spaces for people who depend on vending for a livelihood.
Moreover, there is a sizeable clientele for thattukadas, which offer quick, pocket-friendly meals and snacks. They have their own following.
Food vlogger Al Niyadh, however, says the corporation’s recent action was necessary, particularly along prime stretches such as Kowdiar and Kuravankonam.
“Street food and food trucks can definitely be part of the city’s culture, but they need to operate in properly designated zones with clear rules regarding licensing, hygiene, waste disposal, pedestrian access, parking and pricing transparency,” he says.
“But designated vending need not mean squeezing vendors into another congested corner. A more organised cluster, with space for customers, waste management and basic facilities, could potentially address both sides of the dispute.”
One privately developed experiment is already operating near Technopark. Thodi, at Kazhakootam, has eight food outlets on a 30-cent plot, arranged around a common dining area.
Started in July, the space has been attracting families and technology workers in the evenings.
“We wanted to make sure one shop did not replicate another. If one sells juice, another cannot sell the same thing. There is no competition within the space. We wanted to make sure that if they are paying rent, they get a chance to make a profit,” says owner Amal Shoukath.
The concept is not a street-vending zone, but Amal sees scope for adapting it for displaced vendors with corporation support.
“If something like this can be done for them with the help of the corporation, it would really help. The quality and hygiene can also be maintained properly,” he says.
Niyadh points to food streets in other countries where vending is permitted within designated areas and during specific hours, with the spaces cleared and cleaned once business hours end.
“Something like that could work here too. If the corporation and vendors work together, it would be great for the city,” he says.
Interestingly, vendors themselves are now exploring whether such a model can work. Sojan and other affected vendors have identified private land at Nalanchira, where they plan to create a small cluster of kiosks and offer them to vendors at relatively affordable rents.
“We will clean the area, build kiosks and rent them out to the affected vendors. The idea is to keep the rent affordable while having a small space in a prime location. If everything goes well, we may start next month,” he says.
The proposal comes even as the corporation has been working on a formal vending plan, identifying spaces across wards for designated vending zones. But for vendors, this is not the first time they have heard of such plans.
The city already has an example of what happens when a vending project remains unfinished. The smart vending zone at RKV Lane near the Museum was built at a cost of around Rs 3 crore to rehabilitate traders displaced from the Museum area.
Yet, it has not become the functioning vending space it was meant to be.
Design problems have led to a proposal to reduce the number of shops and enlarge the remaining units, while the facility remains caught in the process of being made workable.
The vending zone near Sree Chithra Park at East Fort, too, remains non-operational, with displaced traders still waiting for allotment.
The corporation, however, says its latest exercise is focused on identifying locations and deciding who can be accommodated in them. This is particularly important amid allegations of “benami food stalls” operating in the city.
The new zones will follow the eligibility criteria under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which treats vending primarily as self-employment.
“When applying for a certificate, the vendor has to give an undertaking that the vending business will be carried out by themselves or their family members. You cannot hire outside employees to run it for you,” says an official.
“There are also different categories, including SC/ST and economically weaker sections. The main idea is self-employment for the urban poor. Many of those who were shut down do not fall into this category. We are conducting a survey and identifying places for now. The vending zones will be developed according to government rules and only people who fall into the specified categories will be accommodated.”
The new process will also cover vendors who had received identity cards from the corporation earlier. “Nearly 125 identity cards were issued under the previous corporation council. They will be renewed as part of the new process,” the official adds.
Deputy Mayor Asha Nath G S says the corporation is identifying “suitable spaces in every ward and that planning will begin once the locations are finalised”.
“We have not yet discussed whether the project can be taken up through a PPP model. If such a feasible proposal comes up, we will analyse, discuss and make decisions ideal for the city,” she says.
For Thiruvananthapuram, the challenge is to find a middle ground where footpaths remain accessible, streets are orderly and the city’s street-food culture continues to thrive.