Kozhikode Corporation to invite expressions of interest for Beach Food Street waste management amid hygiene concerns

The Kozhikode Corporation plans to issue an invitation for expressions of interest (EoI) to a private agency for managing waste and cleaning at the Beach Food Street, following repeated complaints regarding unhygienic conditions and unsafe food-handling practices. Corporation Health Standing Committee chairperson K. Rajeev announced that the civic body intends to outsource the cleaning work to a selected agency, emphasizing that the agency will be solely responsible for the entire cleaning operation and waste removal from the food street.

A recent joint inspection by the Food Safety department and the Corporation’s Health wing revealed several lapses in food storage and serving practices at stalls at the Beach Food Street. A closure notice was issued to a pushcart stall for operating under unhygienic conditions, while notices were served to six other eateries for failing to maintain cleanliness. Officials stated that further actions, including fines, would be taken against shops violating health and safety norms.

The Beach Food Street, initially envisioned as a clean and attractive food-serving environment, now faces challenges in maintaining hygiene standards. There are approximately 90 pushcart and other stalls in the area, with relatively clean front portions but often flooded roadways during rainy days. The areas behind some shops near the beach are particularly unhygienic, with wastewater storage tanks that frequently overflow, spilling wastewater onto the surroundings.

Traders attribute the problem to the civic body’s failure to clear the wastewater daily, despite officials claiming that the Health Wing conducts regular inspections and removes wastewater when traders report overflowing tanks.

Corporation officials reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining food safety and hygiene standards, stating that inspections of shops at the food street will continue in the coming days. Deputy Mayor S. Jayasree highlighted the proposal's aim to ensure more efficient and systematic cleaning, expressing hope that entrusting waste management to an agency would facilitate easier and more efficient work.

Currently, the civic body collects a monthly fee of ₹1,200 towards waste management from traders at the food street, though traders were initially reluctant to pay the fee but have since complied. The Deputy Mayor assured that entrusting cleaning activities to an agency will not impose any additional financial burden on the corporation.