Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Aug 19: A mini food street has been inaugurated at the newly constructed underpass connecting Clock Tower to A B Shetty Circle, providing convenient access for people traveling between Lady Goshen Hospital and Mangaluru Central railway station. The food street is part of the Smart City project aimed at enhancing the user experience of the underpass.

The underpass and adjacent Gandhi Park were built at a cost of Rs eight crore under the Smart City initiative. The project also includes an open-air theatre designed to host cultural programmes, which is frequented by over 1,000 people daily, most of whom are students.

The newly opened food street features 16 stalls offering a variety of items, including tea, coffee, snacks, sugarcane juice, pani puri, ice cream, omelettes, sweet corn, mobile recharge services, footwear, and readymade garments. Currently, eight of the stalls have begun operations.

The food street operates from 5:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Shop owners have paid Rs one lac in advance and must pay a monthly rent of Rs 15,000. However, Krishna Attavara, a tea stall owner, mentioned that the rent is currently a heavy burden, and the underpass faces issues with rodents.

To maintain diversity, each of the 16 shops is required to sell unique products as specified in the Smart City menu, with a focus on cleanliness and quality home-made snacks.

Despite the attractive open-air theatre at the end of the underpass, no events have been held there yet. Shop owners are hopeful that hosting programmes on weekends could attract more visitors and boost business. In fact, the stall owners are planning to organize their own events to increase foot traffic and revenue.