Aficionados of Mysuru City Corporation had taken a couple of years ago the laudable initiative to facilitate the rapidly expanding virtual army of footpath mobile canteen operators across the city’s 65 Wards, in consultation with an expert on the nuances of business from Kolkata. Intending to ease the crowding by the mobile canteen operators as well as their patrons in many streets of the city during the evening hours, resulting in inconvenience to citizens as well as deteriorating sanitation, it was considered appropriate to create platforms in properly selected locations that would satisfactorily address the problems. As time has passed, it is business as usual while the administration in urban local body seems to have not pursued the programme to its logical end. The patrons of mobile canteens seem to be facing no serious problems of food-borne tummy troubles unlike the case of devotees of some places of worship who were felled after consuming prasada.

Similar to creation of kiosks of bhelpuri vendors at Juhu in Mumbai, a few cities in North India are reported to have marked zones in their territories to carry out the business of mobile canteens without any glitch. Also, Bengaluru City Corporation is learnt to have issued 17,000 licences to the operators. However, the manner of functioning by the officials in keeping the system well-oiled leaves much to be desired.

Not known to people at large who are making a beeline to their chosen mobile canteens regularly are two related features namely (a) Most States have framed rules for compliance by mobile canteen operators and (b) India has more than 10 million footpath eateries governed by Street Vendors Act 2014, ensuring rightful place for them in society. Mysuru-based footpath mobile canteen operators enjoy unquestionable visibility in public domain and have proved their competence for entrepreneurship, purely on their own volition. It is common knowledge that most street-based providers of tasty dishes to their Mysuru’s clientele are harassed both by law-keepers and functionaries of the urban local body.

The view that if food hubs, as planned earlier, are created at points agreeable to both operators and their patrons, the issue of hygiene would be addressed has its merits. The cost of dishes offered by mobile canteens mocks at the tariff charged in brick ‘n’ mortar hotels. Also, the youth, being self-employed and shelterless in the footpath enterprise, wear the badge of service-with-a-smile on their sleeves, Mysureans being indirect partners.