The Central government has selected the street food hub near V.O.C. Park in Coimbatore city for transformation into a Healthy and Hygienic Food Street as part of the National Health Mission (NHM) initiative.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on August 11th, Elliot’s Beach in Chennai, V.O.C. Park and its adjacent road, the street food hub at Velankanni, and the temple street food stalls at Mamallapuram are slated to undergo development as Healthy and Hygienic Food Streets. Under this program, each of these street food hubs will receive INR 1 Crore for the purpose of revitalizing the area and enhancing facilities.
A representative from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has indicated that a committee consisting of the Health Secretary, Municipal Administration Secretary, and Food Safety Commissioner was responsible for selecting the names of the four street food hubs. These selections were made in accordance with recommendations received from each district. Subsequently, the list was forwarded to the NHM, which allocated a collective sum of INR 4 crore to facilitate the enhancement of these four street food hubs.
A representative from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has indicated that a committee consisting of the Health Secretary, Municipal Administration Secretary, and Food Safety Commissioner was responsible for selecting the names of the four street food hubs. These selections were made in accordance with recommendations received from each district. Subsequently, the list was forwarded to the NHM, which allocated a collective sum of ₹4 crore to facilitate the enhancement of these four street food hubs.
Having selected the street food hub at V.O.C. Park for this initiative, the Coimbatore Corporation will collaborate with the district administration to formulate a proposal for its execution, which will then be submitted to the State government. On Saturday, Corporation Commissioner M. Prathap conducted a visit to the location and engaged in discussions with the food vendors.
It has come to light that as part of the rejuvenation effort, amenities such as vendor platforms, street lighting, water access, and restroom facilities will be made available.
S. Krishnan, president of V.O.C. Park Platform Vendors’ Association affiliated to the CITU, welcomed the move. “There are 89 vendors who sell food in the area, of which 56 have registration certificates from the FSSAI. We are in the process of getting registration certificates for the remaining 33 vendors,” he said.
V.O.C. Park, Power House at Tatabad, and Saravanampatti represent the trio of street food clusters in Coimbatore which have been granted the Clean Street Food Hub recognition by the FSSAI.
