The authorities in Bangkok have banned its street food from the major roadways of the capital sparking an outcry mainly because this city has been renowned for its affordable roadside cuisine.
This move has been criticized by regional and culinary lovers.
Therefore, a large number of vendors selling delectable dishes including papaya salad and spicy prawn soup would be disappearing from the streets of the city by the end of 2017. The city hall states that this move has been planned bearing in mind the interests of ‘order and hygiene’.
Wanlop Suwandee, chief adviser to the governor of Bangkok said that officials are currently working to get rid of the stalls from all the 50 districts of Bangkok and return the pavements to pedestrians.
He added that each of the street vendor would have to move out.
The local tourism sector comprises nearly 15% of the economy of Bangkok and the local street food like the tempting sweet pork kebabs, fried chicken and pineapple slices actually attract a generous amount of tourists.
In addition, this city is also famous for its numerous street food tours that are conducted throughout the subtropical city.
One of the food bloggers based in Bangkok, Chawadee Nualkhair said that the previous attempts of the authorities to remove the streetside food stalls had failed. Some of the most acclaimed street food hotspots have been shut put by the developers who have purchased land and evicted the vendors.
Last year, the famous Soi Sukhumvit 38 food market that had operated for 40 years was damaged in order to make way for a pricey condominium.
Some of the roadside vendors mango sticky rice and pad thai were permitted to set up in the basement of a building that is located nearby. City hall said that the cntral district of Siam has been cleared of the stalls by police. Next on the list are the Khao San Road and Chinatown’s Yaowarat Road.
Boontham Huiprasert who is the district chief of the area said that there continues to be a certain amount of confusion on how the policy would be implemented. He said that push-cart vendors who move around might still be allowed. But then, the larger, semi-permanent stalls with seating facilities would have to close down.
