Hoteliers allege roadside vendors affecting business; urge MCC to evict them

Alleging that the roadside food vendors were affecting their business, the Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association has urged Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to evict and rehabilitate them at designated vending zones.

At a programme on food safety organised by the association in Mysuru on Thursday, the association president, C. Narayana Gowda, expressed concern over footpath vending turning into a mafia with the MCC authorities failing to act against them.

Though the hotel owners pay a hefty sum to the government as taxes, the hotel industry is staring at a loss. The authorities should either evict the footpath food vendors or relocate them to food vending zones, he said.

MCC Health Officer Venkatesh N.P. said the corporation had already surveyed footpath vendors ward-wise. Out of the estimated 4,500 footpath vendors of all types, the MCC has issued licenses to around 2,800 to 3,000 of them.

After the conclusion of the Swachh Survekshan, a meeting of the town vending committee under the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru will be held to take a decision on relocating the footpath vendors to suitable locations, Dr. Venkatesh said.

During the meeting, Dr. Venkatesh advised hotel owners to minimise plastic usage while suggesting that cloth bags with the hotels’ logos can be printed and used instead of plastic bags.

He also advised the hotel owners to separate plastic from the food waste before discarding the same. The MCC has planned to take up a trade license issuance drive next month and urged the hotel owners to take advantage of the same.

Maintain hygiene

Meanwhile, Food Safety Officer S.L. Ravindra, who also participated in the programme, emphasised the importance of maintaining hygiene in the hotels. While instructing the hotel owners to ensure all the food ingredients are washed thoroughly before use, he said the cooks should properly wash their hands before and after preparing food.

He said precautions should also be taken to prevent hair from falling into the food. Urging the hotel owners to strictly follow all the food safety regulations, Mr. Ravindra said the hotel owners should ensure that their trade licenses are displayed before the customers.

During the programme, the hotel owners were also given information on taxation and the process of online renewal of trade license.

Secretary of the Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association A.R. Ravindra Bhat, honorary president Ravi Shastri, vice-president Suresh, and other representatives, including Suresh, Subramanya Tantri, and Narayana Gowda Hegde, were also present on the occasion.