North corp to give permits to food vans, e-food carts

NEW DELHI: The cash-strapped North Delhi Municipal Corporation — in an attempt to generate more revenue — has decided to give permanent licences to food vans and e-food carts. Food vans will be allowed at places where space is available and footfall is abundant, civic officials said.

Officials of north civic body said that other than increasing revenue of the municipality, the initiative will also create jobs for a lot of unemployed youths.

A senior official of the north corporation said that modalities of the scheme are yet to be worked out. The official, however, said that other than issuing licences to existing food carts, people belonging to economically weaker sections would be given preference and discount in setting up their food business in empty lands of the municipality.

Mayor of north corporation, Jai Prakash, said that there are a number of eateries already functioning at different locations in north Delhi but the civic body does not get any revenue from such establishments. “This scheme will pave a way to legalise such food carts after paying a licence fee, which will be decided later. Other than this, we will also promote setting up food vans in empty lands of the civic body at various locations in north Delhi. We will allocate these food vans to those people whose annual family income is less than Rs 25,000. We will provide them special discounts to set up movable eateries in empty lands and at places where footfall is high,” Prakash said.

“Though the fee for the licence is yet to be decided but it is likely to be kept dynamic, which means that those who wish to set up their food vans in busy markets or at prime locations, will have to pay slightly higher prices,” the mayor added.

A senior official of the north corporation also said that applicants will have to produce a no-objection-certificate from the traffic police as well as from the road owning authority.

KS Mehra, former commissioner of the unified MCD, said the initiative will help in boosting revenue of the corporations. “This initiative will bring additional funds to the corporation as illegally running food vans will be brought under the tax net of the MCD,” Mehra said.

The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) said they were against the proposal. Arbind Singh, national coordinator NASVI, termed it “anti-street vendors”.

“It is an effort to snatch livelihood from the street food vendors. They should first regulate the existing street food vendors who set up roadside stalls.”