MCD plans street food hubs on lines of Indore & Surat culinary parks

New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to set up the capital’s first organised street food hubs across multiple zones.

Designed to blend Delhi’s vibrant street food culture and regional culinary heritage with modern civic facilities, the proposed hubs will offer non-permanent vending spaces, have hygienic infrastructure, adequate lighting, waste management facilities and evening food zones — on the lines of food parks in Indore and Surat.

The proposed hubs are being planned at locations with adequate public footfall and operational feasibility. Six places have been identified, including an MCD market near the NDRF camp in South Zone’s Vasant Vihar, at Shanti Stupa on Ring Road in Central Zone, an area behind Salimgarh Fort near the old iron railway bridge in the City-SP Zone, and NSP Place near Keshavpuram TV tower. Two additional sites have been identified in Rohini and West Zone.

Senior MCD officials told TOI that two of these sites are controlled by other land-owning agencies, for which no-objection certificates (NOCs) will first be sought.

The average development cost is estimated at around Rs 50,000 per square metre, depending on the size and nature of each site.

“The initiative is currently at the planning and approval stage, with all proposals submitted to Union ministry of housing and urban affairs through Delhi govt,” an official said.

Unlike permanent commercial establishments, the hubs will only permit movable and non-permanent vending carts designed to meet prescribed hygiene and visual standards. Different categories have been proposed, including carts serving prepared meals, chaat and salad carts, those selling beverages and single-item vending carts.

Each food hub is expected to accommodate around 50 to 100 vending units, depending on the size of the location. Vendor selection is proposed to be conducted through a transparent process involving a draw of lots among eligible registered street vendors under respective zone vending committees.

MCD plans to introduce a regulated licensing system under which vendors will pay processing charges, registration fees and annual licence fees, the officials said, adding that the hubs are expected to generate reasonable municipal revenue.

The proposal includes the development of civic and sanitation infrastructure, such as waste management systems, common dustbins, lighting arrangements, circulation space, weatherproof structures and other public convenience facilities. Provision for potable water supply and washroom facilities will be considered.

To ensure better management of the public and regulation of activities, the food hubs are proposed to operate primarily in the evening. The carts will have standardised designs and a common visual identity to create uniformity and better recognition. Their functioning will be monitored through periodic inspections by municipal and public health officials to ensure they adhere to hygiene, sanitation and food safety standards.

Based on the success and feasibility of the pilot, the initiative may later be expanded to more locations across the city.