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Somewhere, somebody said fast food is tantamount to pornography, nutritionally speaking, that is. Well, Mumbaikars love pornography of this sort, unthinkable as it is to think of life in the megalopolis without the batata wadas, pav bhajis and masala dosas.

However, with the impending monsoons, the civic authorities have taken up the hygiene cudgel and are set to dislodge more than a lakh people hawking food on the roads, out of an estimated 250,000 street vendors.

Which accosts us with a poser dilemma — can the civic body trample over the livelihood of many, or should the many be allowed to thrive at the cost of hygiene?Let me refer to a case, when more than a decade ago, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) evicted a common street vendor, Sodhan Singh, a garment vendor at Janpath in New Delhi. He filed a PIL in the Supreme Court claiming that the action violated his fundamental rights, more specifically, his right to carry on business or trade (Article 19 (1) G of the Constitution of India).

The SC ruled: “Small traders on the sidewalks could considerably add to the comfort and convenience of the general public by making available ordinary articles of everyday use for a comparatively lesser price.” (Sodhan Singh versus NDMC, 1989).

The extract from the SC judgment, you see, is significant as it emphasises important aspects of street vending and use of public space. The judgment notes the positive role of street vendors in providing essential commodities at affordable prices and at convenient places.

Moreover, it notes that street vending, if regulated, can’t be denied merely on the ground that pavements are meant exclusively for pedestrians. Street vendors are exercising their constitutional right to carry out business and hence, should be regulated properly and not abolished.

The key word, you will agree, is regulation, which means striking a judicious balance between hygiene and livelihood. Last year, the Centre decided to help civic bodies of 19 major cities to help them provide street food in a hygienic manner. In fact, our very own Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was committed to coach street vendors in the fine nuances of cleanliness, planning to designate specific streets where such food could be sold.

The masterplan was to update the skills of hawkers on Chowpatty and Juhu beach, wherein the civic body planned to train nearly 1,000 hawkers across the city, with a team of experts guiding them in food handling, storage, preparation, hygiene maintenance and other safety practices.

Time, really, for more constructive action from BMC. How about ensuring that essential ingredients are uncontaminated, food grade equipment is in place and potable water supplied? Regular inspection of samples of food products and medical check-up of vendors could make the effort doubly delectable.

Bade Miyan, whose mouth-watering seekh kebabs are the talk of the town, offers an apotheosis of a small-time vendor who now has a complete cart unit with a refrigerated van for meat storage. Hello, hello BMC mandarins, get your act together and act right. For once.