The gloves are off at paani puri stalls

A Day after Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam gave paani puri vendors a lesson in hygiene,it was business as usual on the streets with the gifted gloves forgotten or ignored. In fact,Ramayan Chauhan,the general secretary of the Paani Puri Manufacturers Association,admitted,“It will be a while before paani puri vendors can be motivated to keep cleanliness. One cannot go and teach everyone hygiene.”

Paani puri vendors at various places,including Borivali,Kandivali,Malad,Goregaon,Colaba and Fort,were unaware about any new cleanliness measures being advised. Dharamraj Yadav,a vendor in Fort,said,“I do not know of any cleanliness measures we are supposed to follow,but I try to use clean water and keep the utensils clean all the time.” The 31-year-old hails from UP and usually sets up his stall at Rustom Sidhwa Marg in Fort.

Yadav’s stall was vandalised and broken by the MNS activists after a Thane vendor was caught urinating into a jug. While he had temporarily shut shop following threats,he returned to business two days ago.