AGNELO PEREIRA
MAPUSA
If you are a Mapxekar then you can’t miss the place. It’s one of the oldest and popular late night eating hangouts in Mapusa and perhaps in Goa.
After 7 pm, the street in front of the Alankar movie theatre comes alive as vendors spring into action preparing food and arranging chairs for customers.
The entire street takes on a festive look as people make a beeline to the foods stalls.
But the popular food street has gained notoriety for peddling food in most unhygienic environment.
Many citizens opine that unhygienic methods are being followed by the food stall vendors for preparing, cooking and serving food to the customers.
They prepare food items in polluted environment and open spaces and serve hot food items on plastics covered with polythene papers.
Oblivious to the customers at least three stalls are set up on a storm-water drain. Besides the rain water during the monsoons the filth and sewerage from nearby houses and business establishments runs through the drain throughout the year.
A cursory look around the stalls and the entire area will reveal that the place is unclean and grimy. A closer look is bound to make one nauseating.
A regular visitor to the stalls informed that he was taken aback when he recently saw a rat running across one of the fruit stalls.
“I used to frequently visit the stall only for fruit salad as I thought fruits would be the safest to eat in the open space. But from the day when I saw the rodent, I have stopped visiting the food stalls,” the visitor said.
But that’s not the only grouse. Questions are raised on quality of oil and water that is being used by the vendors.
While agreeing that the quality of food items could not be equated with restaurants, a food vendor said that they have to function from a small place.
“It is very difficult to prepare quality food from a small area. However, we prepare food at home and only fry it or warm it here for customers,” he said.
Considering that most of the food stall owners are locals some of whom have connections with politicians, authorities concerned have rarely clamped down on the owners.
Incidentally, former chief minister, Manohar Parrikar, who was a resident of Mapusa, patronized one of the fruit stalls in the initial days of his political
career.
As per food safety norms, the street vendors are required to wear gloves, while preparing and serving food. The health department is supposed to raid such vendors for violating such norms.
Mapusa Health Officer Sadna Shetye informed that urban health centre has very little role to play and that Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is supposed to check the quality of food.
“We have not issued any licences to the food stall owners near the Alankar theatre. Our inspectors work from 10 am to 6 pm while they begin operation after 7 pm,” Dr Shetye said.
A senior FDA official who was not willing to come on record said it was for the Mapusa civic officials to take action as they have issued NOCs to them.
Ironically, the Alankar movie theatre was shut down a couple of years ago but the business has been booming for the street food vendors.
Off late, a lot of Indian tourists who frequent the place say that the food is tasty and also affordable.
