Walkers seek hygiene, safety at proposed food street in Tiruchi

The Race Course Road Walkers Association has urged the authorities to ensure hygiene, proper waste management, and safety at the proposed model food street near Anna Stadium in Khajamalai, Tiruchi.

Food Safety Department officials held a meeting with the association members on Friday to seek their views on the facility. The walkers called for measures to prevent waste and used cooking oil from being dumped along the walking track, avoid traffic congestion, and keep the walking area free of vehicles between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. They sought to ensure that stalls did not open before 6 a.m. and that smoke from cooking did not inconvenience walkers.

Later, in a representation to the District Collector, the association sought mandatory display of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences, medical fitness certificates for food handlers every six months, and the use of aprons, caps, and gloves. It recommended uniform stainless steel carts with roofs, lighting, dustbins, and handwash facilities, besides separate handling of cash and food.

The association called for a two-bin system for wet and dry waste, daily collection by the Corporation at 10.30 p.m., a common washing area with proper drainage, a ban on single-use plastics, daily cleaning and weekly fogging. A walking path at least 10 feet wide should be maintained, it said.

For safety, it proposed restricting the food street’s operating hours to 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and installing CCTV cameras, fire extinguishers, and adequate lighting, with security personnel deployed at the site. It sought bilingual price boards, display of the FSSAI complaint number, and a monitoring committee with representation from the association.

The association drew attention to lack of access to a public toilet built near the walking track a year ago and non-functional lights at the children’s park and open gym. It urged the authorities to restore the facilities and replace defunct streetlights, emphasising the need for adequate illumination if the food street operated until 10 p.m.

“The Collector has assured to form a monitoring committee comprising the Corporation Commissioner, police, and Food Safety Department officials, along with a representative of the walkers association to oversee the facility,” said H. Ghouse Baig, a member of the association.