25 August 2023 12:01 am Views - 933
Customers have made it a habit to stop their vehicles and make a quick purchase
Street food enthusiasts are in for a treat if they take a walk down Kimbulawala, Battaramulla during evening hours on any given day. Over 40 stalls, mostly which sell various fast food
A growing nuisance
But before long, passersby made it a habit to stop by from their vehicles to negotiate prices from vendors or to make a purchase as there are no proper parking facilities in the vicinity. This habit subsequently created heavy traffic congestion along this stretch. Residents claim that on Fridays, th e traffic worsens as people from the surroundings flock here for a quick bite. In February this year when this matter was raised in Parliament, Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that cabinet approval was granted to make road markings and ensure the safety of passengers and vehicles. The stalls which operated on Friday, Saturday and Sunday now operate on all seven days disturbing the businesses in the surroundings. Apart from temporary eateries, this space has provided an opportunity for individuals to sell everything from clothes to shoes and other fancy items from time to time.
Vendors express mixed reactions
A few days ago, the Road Development Authority (RDA) once again issued notices to the vendors to vacate the venue within 14 days. But the vendors claim that this is an unfair decision being made by the authorities. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, a few vendors shared their thoughts as follows;
The stalls have taken much of the space leaving hardly any space for pedestrians to walk by
“The authorities have marked our days”: Kumara
Upon our visit, the Daily Mirror observed that some stalls have occupied a larger space when compared to others. Supun Wasantha Kumara owns an eatery that sells fast food. He had been in the tourism industry prior to starting a stall at this venue at the onset of COVID. For the past four years Kumara and his family had had no issue operating their stall, but they were disturbed when certain individuals complained that their stall has taken up more space on the road.
“We don’t want to continue these businesses forever, but once the country recovers from its economic turmoil, we too can return to our previous jobs,” he told the Daily Mirror. “The RDA issued a set of guidelines initially and our stalls are within the demarcated area. Even though they have asked us to remove the stalls they are yet to provide us with an alternative space with a similar atmosphere. We even proposed to put up stalls atop the canal without disturbing the environment. Our only request is to allow us to continue these stalls at this location. Many people come here to enjoy some street food and relax after a tiring day of work. But the authorities have deliberately marked our days. There are around 10-15 people working at my stall and we have provided employment to low income families. None of these stalls have been put up permanently. All are makeshift tents and none of them are made of cement. But the authorities feel that we are going to stay here forever. All these stalls operate after 3.00pm. We even requested the authorities to obtain a nominal fee from the stalls, appoint an official or a committee to regulate operations at this place. But they are not ready to listen to us,” Kumara complained.
“Accidents and heavy traffic are misleading claims”
“Over 500 families depend on this street food stretch. Working here could be the only mode of income for many people here and they are earning to feed their families” - Sandamali
Sujeewa Sandamali is a mother of two and earns a living as a fruit juice vendor at the Kimbulawala street food stretch. She has been operating her stall since 2017; even before many other vendors joined. “It may be illegal for us to do businesses here, but the authorities should show a bit more empathy towards us,” she said. “Over 500 families depend on this street food stretch. Working here could be the only mode of income for many people here and they are earning to feed their families. These families include children, the elderly, differently-abled persons etc. There are claims that there are frequent accidents at this stretch and that there’s a heavy traffic towards evenings. But these are misleading claims. She further said that it is difficult to decide on a fixed price for juices given the cost of sugar, salt and other ingredients. The cost of fruits itself is quite expensive. Therefore we are doing a business without any savings or profits,” said Sandamali.
“Some vendors didn’t obey the rules”
The authorities requested vendors to bring their items at the time of selling and take all items away once their sale is over. But this wasn’t practiced by all vendors - Suranga
Apart from many vendors who have moved their culinary equipment inside the makeshift tents, there are those who arrive in the evenings, sell their items from the back of their vehicles and leave once their sales are done for the day. D.G Suranga is one of them. Having been employed at an apparel company prior to COVID, Suranga now sells sportswear and sports goods at Kimbulawala to earn a living. When asked about the orders given out by the authorities Suranga said that most vendors didn’t abide by the rules put out by the authorities. “As a result they are now being asked to leave. The authorities requested vendors to bring their items at the time of selling and take all items away once their sale is over. But this wasn’t practiced by all vendors,” said Suranga.
“An unfair decision”
There are some stalls which are protruding towards the road. So those vendors should know to operate their businesses without disturbing the movement of vehicles. But just because of two stalls it is not fair to remove all 43 stalls, - Romesh
Prasanna Romesh was busy grilling corn when the Daily Mirror met him. He had been one of the initial vendors in Kimbulawala. However he believes that the decision to remove their stalls is not fair. “The authorities should at least give us the reasons for making such a request and provide us with an alternative location in that case. We don’t leave any of these items behind. At the beginning there were only a few vendors here, but subsequently the number of stalls and their tent size expanded. If the authorities can allow us to remove these tents once the sales are done I think it’s a more fair decision. There are no vehicles that are parked on this side of the road; hence there is no traffic as well. There are some stalls which are protruding towards the road. So those vendors should know to operate their businesses without disturbing the movement of vehicles. But just because of two stalls it is not fair to remove all 43 stalls,” said Romesh.
“We don’t own the road”
When one vehicle stops to purchase an item, it automatically creates traffic - Manoj
S. Manoj used to be a diver, but is currently engaged in selling imported shoes at Kimbulawala. “It has been a month since I started this business. Commenting on the orders issued by authorities, Manoj said that perhaps the authorities are requesting the removal of these stalls due to the heavy traffic that can be seen at times. “When one vehicle stops to purchase an item, it automatically creates traffic. We don’t own the road so we can’t decide what we are going to do. If it is a public area we could have continued with our businesses,” said Manoj.
Pics by Pradeep Dilrukshana
Crowds gather at night sometimes causing a heavy traffic
No final decision yet: RDA
However, when inquired, RDA’s Director General L. V. S Weerakoon said that they are continuing these stalls on the main road. “Residents have complained that these people are disturbing their privacy, the surrounding businesses and that some of these stalls are unhygienic. We have issued 14 days notice for them to vacate the place and thereafter we will be going to courts. But there is no final decision as yet,” said Weerakoon.
He further said that a heavy traffic is created on Fridays as a result of these stalls. Responding to the requests by vendors Weerakoon said that if they are willing to pay for their stalls then the authorities will have to look for an alternative location.
The RDA has issued guidelines for vendors to not disturb the movement of vehicles