Second Covid-19 wave hit BMC’s khau galli plan

The plan was to set up khau gallis in all 24 administrative wards of the city. However, the city was hit with second wave days later with cases starting to increase from February 2021.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) plan to open up locations such as Marine Drive, Chowpatty, Worli sea face and Madh Island for setting up khau gallis in form of food truck and food stalls in the city has been on hold since the second wave of Covid-19.

State tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray mooted the idea of setting up food trucks. (HT FILE)

The plan was to set up khau gallis in all 24 administrative wards of the city. However, the city was hit with second wave days later with cases starting to increase from February 2021. According to BMC officials, a policy for khau gallis was to be framed but there is no development on the same as the plan is on hold for now.

HT had, on February 14, reported had reported that BMC identified 65 locations wherein 3,331 vendors will be accommodated. These vendors can also be in the form of food trucks or normal stalls. This plan is an extension to BMC’s plan to have food trucks across the city, for which it had prepared a draft policy last year.

The idea of food trucks was pushed by state tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray who announced having food trucks across the city to boost tourism. In the 2021-22 budget, BMC reserved ₹200 crore for creating food hubs including beautification of footpaths, beautifying space below flyovers etc.

BMC officials said after initial discussion in January, a policy was to be formulated wherein 10-12 trucks, selling different cuisines, will come and park trucks between 6pm and 11pm. For this, several wards in the city are looking at small streets which BMC can afford to shut between 6pm and 11pm and divert traffic to alternative routes.

A senior BMC official not wishing to be named said, “Several wards in the western suburbs had also submitted their plan to the Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP) to get no objection certificate for temporarily shutting service roads for food trucks and stalls. These wards had also got the required permission from the traffic police.”

Another BMC official from the license department which will frame the policy said, “Before the second wave hit the city, we were consulting with health department regarding such a plan, but since then the planning has been on hold owing to second wave. And now we also fear a third wave. Any policy on such an issue may now be drafted only once substantial population of the city is vaccinated.”

Meanwhile, the hospitality industry feels they should be consulted before such a policy is implemented. Pradeep Shetty, senior vice-president of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI), said, “Our industry is the most impacted due to the Covid lockdown, and business has been hit for hotel industry since the past 15 months. We expect that such a policy is drafted after taking suggestion from hospitality industry to ensure there is level playing ground.”