Srinagar, August 13: The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has issued operational guidelines for establishing designated street food cart zones across Srinagar, aiming to regulate street vending while balancing vendors’ livelihoods with food safety, sanitation, pedestrian convenience and orderly use of public spaces.
The initiative, being implemented under SMC Commissioner Fazlul Haseeb, will initially cover identified locations including Opposite JKTDC Water Sports, Dalgate Bund, Badamwari, JVC Bemina, Magarmal Bagh and Rajbagh, besides a designated site along the right side of the River Jhelum.
Each zone will have a regulated holding capacity based on available space, pedestrian movement, accessibility, traffic conditions and fire-safety requirements.
“The objective is not merely to regulate street food vending, but to create organised, clean and dignified spaces where vendors can pursue their livelihoods while ensuring that public convenience, sanitation, pedestrian movement and the character of Srinagar’s public spaces are fully protected,” Haseeb said.
Under the new framework, food carts will have to follow standardised designs and comply with requirements related to food hygiene, potable water, waste segregation, wastewater management and fire safety. Licensed vendors will also be required to prominently display applicable municipal and FSSAI permissions, along with menu and price lists.
The guidelines provide for different categories of motorised and non-motorised food carts. Motorised food vending vehicles will require the applicable clearance from the Motor Vehicles Department before receiving municipal permission.
The SMC has also prescribed a structured mechanism for scrutinising applications and allotting spaces, with emphasis on transparency, fairness and adherence to the carrying capacity of individual zones.
The guidelines have been framed in accordance with the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, the Jammu and Kashmir Street Vendors Rules, 2020, and the Model Scheme notified in 2021.
The Corporation said the move is intended to address problems associated with unregulated street food vending, including traffic congestion, obstruction of pedestrian movement, inadequate sanitation and improper waste disposal, while preserving Srinagar’s vibrant street-food culture.
“Srinagar has a vibrant street-food culture, and our approach is to organise and strengthen this sector rather than displace it,” Haseeb said, adding that the designated zones would provide greater predictability for vendors while enabling the Corporation to maintain cleaner, safer and more accessible public spaces.
The initiative is expected to provide street food vendors with a more predictable and dignified operating environment and strengthen the SMC’s management of public spaces through a transparent and sustainable regulatory framework.
