Chew on this, street food off road

FOR CLEAN DELHI: The SC's decision to say no to the roadside food in Delhi came as a bid to keep its streets clean.

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New Delhi: In what may come as a major disappointment to all those who swear by street food, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered all vendors and hawkers in the Capital to stop cooking on the streets.

This means that the hot, spicy paranthas, mouth-watering chaat and tikki or the crispy pakoras in the evenings are soon going to be just a memory.

The apex court's decision to say no to the roadside food in Delhi came as a bid to keep its streets clean. They can, however, cook food at home and sell it in packets.

Reactions to the court's order were immediate. "There should be an order to eat only raw food," said a resident of Delhi. Another reasoned, "One likes to eat the food here because it's served hotIf we start getting packaged food here, I don't think it will be enjoyable."

However, there were some like Madhu Kishwar, an activist working with Manushi, who were rather curt: "A stupider order could not have been passed."

"You will see widespread violation of the law and the things will continue merrily as before. All it'll mean is that the bribe rates will go up," she added.

The foodies in the Capital are also going to miss out on bread pakoras, samosas, momos, bread-omelette, fish fry, rolls among other things.

The hawker-vendor debate has been a long-standing battle but with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi now set on allocating designated areas for hawkers and the court stopping all street food, Delhiites feel its killing the soul of the city— the gully food and the street talk.

(With Arunoday Mukharji)