Although demands to inaugurate the food street have been made to the Valpoi Municipality for the past one-and-a-half years, citizens allege that the issue has been ignored. Locals have now urged local MLA and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane to personally intervene and ensure that the food street is opened at the earliest.
According to available information, several food stalls earlier operated in the open space next to the fruit and vegetable market in the Valpoi Municipal area. The place had become a popular evening destination for residents, especially for snacks such as mirchi, bhaji, omelettes and Shevpuri. However, the lack of drinking water, sanitation facilities and proper seating caused major inconvenience to visitors.
Keeping this in mind, local MLA and Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane had decided to construct a modern food street with improved facilities at a cost of crores of rupees. Although the project was completed nearly one-and-a-half years ago, it is yet to be inaugurated. The new food street is expected to provide proper seating arrangements and better cleanliness measures.
Public unhappy over delay
Citizens said the demand for inauguration was raised more than a year ago and that the municipality was expected to take the initiative. However, no concrete progress has been made so far, and there is no official information on the reasons behind the continued delay.
The food stalls from the area where the new food street has been built were temporarily shifted to the roadside near the Valpoi Municipal ground. However, for the past two years, people have faced inconvenience there due to unhygienic surroundings and lack of proper facilities. During the monsoon, visitors are forced to stand in the rain while eating, adding to public dissatisfaction.
Every evening, many people from rural areas, especially youngsters, visit the food stalls. The facility was developed on the lines of food streets in major cities to provide better amenities to visitors. However, the public has still not been able to benefit from the project. Citizens are therefore strongly demanding that the new food street be opened before the monsoon season begins.
Monsoon may worsen situation
As the Valpoi region receives heavy rainfall, conditions are expected to worsen further during the monsoon. The present temporary location for the food stalls does not have proper roofing, forcing customers to use umbrellas or raincoats while eating.
Citizens fear that if the new food street is not inaugurated before the monsoon, both food lovers and vendors will face serious inconvenience.
