A month after launch, Indira Canteens yet to fill stomachs

A month after inauguration of around 101 Indira canteens across the city, the state government is still finding it difficult to feed all the people who throng these low-cost eateries.

With only seven kitchens out of the planned 27 being operational, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is finding it difficult to serve hardly 300 people as against the targeted 500, per canteen.

“Even though the canteens are open for two hours, the food gets over within an hour due to short supply. The bowl with which we serve holds 400 gm of food,” said Vijay Kumar, who works as a server in Vasanth Nagar canteen.

Some customers said that they would prefer the roadside eatery. “The quantity of food served is very less. It is not enough for the survival of an adult. The government  said it will create a hunger-free society. But how is it possible with this sort of service?” said Purushotham, a customer.

Since canteens close within an hour of opening in most places, many people are returning without food. Srinivas, a driver said, “If you need to save on your pocket by having food at Indira Canteen, you need to have a lot of time on hand. You need to stand in the queue and grab a plate. Not everybody has time to spare in the middle of the day.”

However, BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said that canteens have received overwhelming response. “There have been complaints of serving small quantity of food. We will make proper arrangements by next week,” he said.

A separate cell headed by a BBMP joint commissioner will be set up in each ward to monitor the canteens.

The food during weekends is going waste, according to a caterer in Hebbal constituency. “Not many people turn up during holidays and we even send back the unsold food. said Murali, caterer in Hebbal canteen.