Mysuru: The state’s first street food hub will come up on Sayyajirao Road in the city under the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme. The location for the proposed hub has been finalised, Mysuru City Corporation commissioner M K Savitha said.“Some trucks are currently parked at the site. They will be shifted to the truck terminus, and the land will be used to construct the street food hub,” she said. “We received information about the selection on Friday. We will float a tender soon to start the civil works,” Savitha added.Mysuru is among 17 cities selected across the country by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) to establish street food hubs under the PM SVANidhi scheme. The initiative aims to promote the city’s rich food culture, boost tourism and improve the livelihoods of street food vendors.“The selection recognises city’s rich food culture and heritage, its tourism importance and its reputation as a clean city at the national level,” Savitha said.The proposed hub will provide street food vendors with a clean, safe and well-equipped space to run their businesses. It will also offer visitors an opportunity to experience traditional dishes from Mysuru and other parts of Karnataka.The facility is expected to have food stalls, seating arrangements, drinking water, toilets, proper lighting, signboards, solid waste management systems and facilities to meet food safety standards. Digital payment options will also be provided.Officials said the hub would help improve food quality and hygiene, increase vendors’ earnings and offer tourists a safe and better-quality local food experience.Meanwhile, the public feel that the MCC must utilise this scheme to streamline the food cart business in the city. “One of the concerns about the street foods available now is the quality and the ingredients used. The MCC must ensure that the new hub will provide a quality-healthy food at a reasonable rate,” said Taresh Kumar, a city resident.
