When night was young

All roadside food cart vendors and food stalls, have vacated the busy road stretch from Clock Tower Junction to M/s Popular Bakery( near Holy Cross Junction), after the stern warning issued by Commissioner of Police for causing traffic jam, blocking foot paths and also disturbing the environment in and around the colonies with blaring music and unwanted activities. Around hundred vehicles and a few thousand pedestrians and shoppers throng Dimapur city’s busy road between Clock Tower junction and Holy Cross every day, making it perhaps , one of the busiest shopping area in Dimapur city . During the past few years, an exciting phenomenon occurred when scores of food carts arrived on the scene to unveil Dimapur’s night food street. These open street food carts offered something out of the ordinary as people and families spent time relaxing and savouring the food. The entire scene appeared like a ‘night market’ often witnessed in other cities. It was therefore, ironic that the excitement that greeted the street food vendors soon turned into despair. The Joint Colony Council of NST and Middle Point colonies complained that s motorists could not park their vehicles as the spaces were already occupied by scores of food carts. The food vendors even ventured in as far as blatantly setting up dining areas along the foot path and practically blocked movement of both pedestrians and shoppers alike. The JCC had earlier , brought to the notice of authorities about the nuisance caused by the nightly drunken revelry and blaring of loud music and dancing taking place from night till past mid-night. The JCC had also narrated how carts were parked on narrow by lanes and even right in front of the gates of private residence during the day, before they started their business. The food carts and vendors begin their business every evening till past midnight and which is quit something to think about in a place like Dimapur, where people are generally indoors by 8 p.m. The present Commissioner of Police Dimapur, has done what should have been done in the past against the backdrop of complaints made by the JCC. Therefore, when the entire lot vacated after the order issued by the Police Commissioner, there was a sense of great relief expressed by the Joint Colony Council(JCC). Though it is not to paint the entire lot with the same brush; yet the factors that had made the evening or night street food business in the locality cannot escape scrutiny. First of all, the vendors were probably not made to comply with certain restrictions – such as ensuring quality and hygiene of the food and also made to operate within specific areas for stationing the food carts so as to prevent unwanted hindrance for parking of vehicles. Secondly, had the authorities monitored the activities of the vendors, they would have seen that dining areas were blatantly setup on footpaths and totally blocking the movement of pedestrians and shoppers. Also had the DMC, which gave the permit for street food vendors, acted in coordination with the Traffic Police, then parking problem and illegal occupation of footpath could have been prevented. Night markets are occasional events during festivals and normal street food business hours is something that should have been stipulated. It also needs to be understood that the right to self employment also does not give the right to override the rights of the general public.