Effectiveness of drive to be known after 5 pm when street food vendors return

Mysore/Mysuru: In a joint operation, the Mysuru City Police and the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) have begun clearing footpath vendors who cook food using LPG cylinders and serve customers  by the roadside.

The eviction drive follows the recent helium cylinder blast near the Mysore Palace in which three persons were killed and a couple of others injured. Unregulated footpath food vending across the city had long been a cause for concern and these concerns intensified after the deadly incident.

Most footpath food vendors use domestic gas cylinders, though rules mandate the use of commercial cylinders. Acting against these violations, the Police evicted vendors operating from footpaths.

Unregulated food vending zones, including the footpath stretch in front of the Bannimantap KSRTC Bus Depot, have been cleared.

The eviction drive has also affected footpath fruit and vegetable vendors. Narasimharaja in-charge Inspector Kumar confirmed to Star of Mysore that all street vendors within his jurisdiction have been evicted.

However, the actual impact of the drive will be evident only in the evening, as a majority of street food vendors begin operations after 5 pm.

Despite the enforcement action, street vending and makeshift stalls resurfaced last evening near the Varaha Gate of the Mysore Palace, just days after authorities had cleared the area. Most of the shops that were removed have reappeared, gradually restoring the congested conditions that existed earlier.

Soon after the helium cylinder blast, the City Police and the  Mysuru City Corporation had removed more than 50 stalls near the Gun House area, where vendors selling handicrafts, food items, tea and other street businesses were evicted. Commando forces were deployed to ensure that trading did not resume.

However, business activity slowly returned, raising questions about the effectiveness and sustainability of the earlier clearance drive.