New Delhi: Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) is planning to set up the capital’s first organized street food hub in several areas.Designed to blend Delhi’s vibrant street food culture and regional culinary heritage with modern civic amenities, the proposed hub will offer non-permanent vending spaces, clean infrastructure, adequate lighting, waste management facilities and evening dining areas on the lines of food parks in Indore and Surat.The proposed centers are being planned at locations with adequate public presence and operational feasibility. Six locations have been identified, including MCD Market near NDRF Camp in Vasant Vihar in the South Zone, Shanti Stupa on Ring Road in the Central Zone, the area behind Salimgarh Fort near the old iron railway bridge in the City-SP Zone and NSP Place near Keshavpuram TV Tower. Two additional sites have been identified in Rohini and West region.Senior MCD officials told times of India Two of these sites are controlled by other land-owning agencies, for which No Objection Certificate (NOC) will first be sought.The average development cost is estimated to be around Rs 50,000 per square metre, depending on the size and nature of each site.“The initiative is currently in the planning and approval stage, with all proposals submitted to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs through the Delhi government,” an official said.Unlike permanent commercial establishments, hubs will allow only movable and non-permanent vending carts that are designed to meet prescribed sanitary and visual standards. Various categories have been proposed, including ready-made food carts, chaat and salad carts, beverage vending carts, and single-item vending carts.Each food hub is expected to accommodate approximately 50 to 100 vending units depending on the size of the space. Selection of vendors is proposed to be done through a transparent process which will involve a draw among the eligible registered street vendors under the respective Zone Vending Committees.The MCD is planning to introduce a regulated licensing system under which vendors will pay processing fees, registration fees and annual license fees, officials said, adding that the centers are expected to generate reasonable municipal revenue.The proposal includes development of civic and sanitation infrastructure, such as waste management systems, general dustbins, lighting systems, circulation spaces, weatherproof structures and other public amenity facilities. Provision of drinking water supply and toilet facilities will be considered.To ensure better management of public and regulation of activities, the Food Hub is proposed to operate mainly in the evening. The carts will have a standardized design and a common visual identity to create uniformity and better identification. Their functioning will be monitored through periodic inspections by municipal and public health authorities to ensure that they comply with sanitation, hygiene and food safety standards.Depending on the success and feasibility of the pilot, this initiative can later be expanded to more locations across the city.