NGO Calls for Food Truck Shutdown After 19-Year-Old Dies in Grinder Accident | File Photo
Mumbai: After a 19-year-old worker lost his life after a grinder pulled him in at a food truck in Worli, a social organisation has demanded the ward officer and the deputy municipal commissioner to be made an accused in the FIR alongside the food truck owner. The NGO has written to the chief minister and demanded that all the food trucks in the city should be shut down immediately due to lack of licences.
On Saturday, Suraj Narayan Yadav lost his life after being crushed in the grinding machine at a roadside Chinese food truck in Worli. While the police have booked the stall’s owner Sachin Kothekar, a social organisation Chakachak Dadar which works on civic issues mainly in central Mumbai has demanded that the ward officer and deputy municipal commissioner should also be made an accused in the case.
NGO Calls for Food Truck Shutdown After 19-Year-Old Dies in Grinder Accident | File Photo
In the letter written on Wednesday, Chakachak Dadar alleged that unauthorized operations of illegal food trucks across Mumbai have led to a host of problems, including obstruction and encroachment on roads, unhygienic conditions, and blatant disregard for public safety and the law. It also added that many trucks feature illegal advertisements promoting political parties and politicians, in clear violation of advertising laws.
The letter demanded the CM to direct the BMC to seize illegal food trucks and prosecute offenders, strict implementation of circulars prohibiting temporary or permanent structures on roads, footpaths, and traffic islands, conduct night raids to demolish illegal structures, seizure of vehicles used for illegal food truck operations, and to publish the actions, correspondence, and recommendations related to illegal food trucks in public domain.
The letter also called upon the CM to hold the BMC officials accountable for failing their duty of shutting down the illegal food trucks. It urged that investigation and disciplinary action against DMCs and Assistant Municipal Commissioners be found neglecting their duties.
“The inaction and complicity of certain municipal officials in allowing illegal food trucks to operate unchecked have exacerbated this issue, undermining public trust and safety,” read the letter.
Chetan Kamble, the founder of Chakachak Dadar, said, “The recent tragedy in Worli underscores the urgent need for robust action to regulate and oversee food truck operations in Mumbai. While the BMC drafted a Food Truck Policy in 2022, the policy has yet to be implemented. In the meantime, illegal food trucks continue to thrive, supported in part by loans sanctioned under the Chief Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, despite the absence of a legal framework to regulate their activities.”
