Illegal eateries turn VIP Road into food street

Those driving along the VIP Road in Zirapkur now have the luxury of simply pulling up a chair on the busy road and have food at any time of the day. With vendors aplenty, the thoroughfare has turned into a food street of sorts. “You can see menu boards planted in the middle of the road,” said a daily commuter.

The Municipal Corporation, the police, food safety teams, there is no one to stop one from doing things their own way.

Residents here said every morning, cars, and vans overloaded with utensils, furniture and food come and encroach upon the road and strut their stuff, leaving only one lane for the busy traffic to negotiate.

“It is a daily nuisance leading to traffic congestion, sanitation issues and law and order problem,” said Amardeep Kaur, a local resident here.

No civic or police official ever visits to keep a check on the mushrooming of the food vans.

Notably, the development comes in the backdrop of multiple incidents of unhygienic and substandard food items being sold unchecked have rocking Mohali.

“Where are the health department teams or food safety wing officials. Is there anyone to check the quality of food here. No one knows from where these eatables are coming. How they are cooked or stored in peak summers,” said Rakesh Mahajan, said a trader who has a shop on the VIP road.

As many as three incidents of adulterated food items at prominent eateries of Zirakpur have also raised concerns about the quality of items being sold.

On Ashtami this year, a customer found a bare bone in her vegetarian thali, while in another incident, a human tooth was found in a packed meal in Peer Muchhala.

MC officials said regular checks are carried out while police teams remove the encroachment from the main road and parking lots if and when they come up.

Chandigarh