How Nitish’s smart city plans have doused fire on 'litti chokha' grills
‘Development with Justice’.
That had been the catchphrase of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar which has helped him win the state elections with comfortable ease. The general masses which remained largely ignored during the previous 15-year-old Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) regime headed by jailed politician Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi wanted both “development” and “justice”. So when Nitish focused his governance on these two agendas, he got huge support from the masses. In his first two tenures, the Nitish administration tried hard to live up to people’s expectations.
But in Nitish’s third term as chief minister, his government’s eviction drives to build a smart city in Patna, has rendered many jobless and homeless, robbing him of prospective voters.
No smoke, no litti chokha
In a recent development, the state administration in its bid to curb the rising air pollution in the capital and neighbouring areas banned the use of cow-dung cakes and coal at roadside eateries and street food stalls. The government has also formed various teams to crack down on violators.
“We have put a ban on the commercial use of cow-dung cakes and coal in the state as they increase air pollution,” Patna Municipal Corporation’s executive officer Sushil Kumar Mishra told the media.
The government’s move, however, will directly affect the livelihood of 5,000-odd street food stalls and hotels which had been using traditional fuel, which is a must to cook the countryside delicacies they offer, says Vishal Anand, the Patna unit head of the National Association of Street Vendors of India.
One such staple which has a high demand among foodies is litti chokha (stuffed and baked dumplings served with a side of spicy mashed potatoes). The dish tastes best when the dumplings are baked on a slow fire stoked from cow-dung cakes and coal.
“The smoke from cow dung and coal renders a special flavour to this popular Bihari dish. Customers eat at our shop to experience this taste. Who would come to us when our food doesn’t taste the same?” asks Shyam Prakash, who runs a litti chokha stall in Mithapur locality of Patna. He says the dish is not only delectable in taste but is a healthy option as it involves less usage of oil and can be easily digested. He, however, says it is difficult to cook the same on a gas stove whose flame is harsher than that of a cow-dung and coal fire.
Jubair, another street food vendor, agrees that the government’s ban would adversely impact their business. “Litti chokha is the most popular food of Bihar and now its demand is increasing in parties as well. Now, even five-star hotels have it as a staple on their menu. But, even they cannot make litti chokha on a gas stove,” says Jubair.
Anand, who welcomes the government’s announcement to provide LPG connections to street food, however, reiterates that popular food such as litti chokha, can’t be cooked on a gas stove.
Restrictions on vending
Likewise, the state government has banned plying of handcarts in prominent localities of Patna during peak hours on the ground that were causing traffic jams. As per the new arrangement, handcarts can now run on the city’s main localities only before 9 in the morning and after 8 in the evening or in between 3 pm and 5 pm.
Slum-dwellers, as well as people who have migrated to the city in search of work, were badly affected when the state government as part of its anti-encroachment drive bulldozed their houses and makeshift shanties, to make way for the smart city project. Hundreds of small-time businessmen were also adversely affected when a team of the district administration bulldozed two big marketing complexes at the railway station and in the Buddha Marg locality stating they had been wrongly built.
The marketing complex bulldozed at the railway station was the main business centre for the milkmen community of Bihar who would sell milk and milk products at the spot every day. They allege that the authorities did not make any alternate arrangements for them before pulling down the business centre which provided employment to hundreds of poor.
“Poor people are being driven out of Patna in the name of making the city smart. Sarkar fir kislye hai (what’s the purpose of the government then)?” asks senior Left leader Kumar Pervez. He says there is a clear instruction form the High Court to make alternate arrangements for the poor before removing their homes or business but the present government has continued treating the poor with disdain. “Are they not the citizens of the country? Don’t they have the right to live with dignity?” asked Pervez.
Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said the ban order on use of coal and cow dung has been imposed in view of the rising pollution levels in the city. He, however, asserted that the street food owners would not get affected by the move as the government will provide them LPG connections instead.
“After proper verification of their home address, Aadhar cards, and mobile numbers, they would be provided 5 kg LPG connection free of cost to run their business,” the commissioner said.
He added that the administration was conducting a survey of street food owners running their business outside railway stations, government offices, court offices and along the roads in the state capital to provide them all help.
