Covid-19: Despite using gloves, street food vendors fail to attract customers

PATNA: From tea sellers to ‘pani puri’ wallahs, street food vendors in the city have embraced the new normal after the Covid-19 lockdown and started using masks, gloves and sanitizers. Some have even switched to digital modes of payment and are using thermocol or paper plates, instead of steel ones.
Rajesh, a tea seller in Nala Road area, told this newspaper that he had replaced glass cups with ‘kulhads’ (traditional earthen cups). “I have also installed a digital wallet on my phone to encourage cashless payments. I am taking these precautions to attract customers,” he said.
‘Nankhatai’ (shortbread biscuit) seller, Kumar Shubham, has stopped street hawking amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “Instead of roaming around, I have started selling my biscuits at a fixed place. I know that the virus is quite dangerous, but people like me cannot stay at home for long. I need to do something to earn money,” he rued.
Meanwhile, majority of the street food vendors are struggling to make ends meet after the lockdown. One of them, Narayana, who has been selling ‘chaat’ and ‘pani puri’ in Kadamkuan area for the last 35 years, said, “Earlier, I used to sell around 30 plates of ‘chaat’, which was enough to meet my basic needs. The last three months, however, have been nothing less than a disaster. Now, I hardly get customers.”
Few vendors also claimed that the closure of educational institutes had affected their business. Upendra, a tea seller on Boring Road, said several students used to visit his shop every day. “My life has come to a standstill. I spent a lot of money on sanitizers, masks, gloves and disposable cups, but have not been able to attract customers,” he added.
Some youngsters, who had been craving street food for nearly two months, were spotted at the stalls on Wednesday. One Simran Singh, a resident of Boring Road, said, “I am taking these ‘pani puris’ home because I do not want to take any risk by eating here.”