Forced candle-light dinner as power supply cut off

Mysore/Mysuru: With no funds to pay contractors and with funds only trickling down from the State Exchequer, all the 11 Indira Canteens are on the verge of shutting down in city. The situation is no better in Bengaluru too. There are 198 Indira Canteens in the State capital. 

Launched first in Bengaluru during August 2017 and later in Mysuru during January 2018 with a lot of fanfare, Indira Canteens, a much-touted welfare scheme of the previous Congress Government, suffered a first jolt under the Congress-JD(S) coalition Government and now under BJP rule. 

Despite their popularity, uncertainty continues to loom over the future of these canteens.  The cash-strapped Mysuru and Bengaluru Corporations are struggling to pay food contractors and it is a struggle to give away food in highly subsidised rates at Indira Canteens. The State Government has not made budgetary allocation for Indira Canteens.

No clarity

Moreover, there is no clarity in the Government about the future of the canteens — this despite assurances from Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa that his Government will not shut down the canteens. At the same time, multiple probes have been ordered by the BJP Government on the alleged irregularities in running them since 2017.

For the 11 Indira Canteens in Mysuru, pending dues from the Government has reached up to Rs. 3.50 crore. Fund flow has suddenly stopped from March 2020 and the food is supplied to the canteens by the food contractor from two centralised kitchens located at Alanahalli and Kumbarakoppal in the hope that funds would be released and dues are settled. 

From 18,000 tokens a day to 8,700

Initially, for breakfast, lunch and dinner 18,000 tokens were issued per day. But since last year, only 4,300 tokens are issued for breakfast, 2,300 for lunch and 2,100 for dinner — total 8,700 (that means, almost 10,000 tokens have been slashed.)

Since the last six months, pending electricity bills for 11 canteens have mounted to Rs. 4 lakh and as such, power supply has been disconnected to canteens at CADA Office, Kumbarakoppal, Silk Factory, Jodi Tenginamara Road and Sharadadevinagar.

Candle-light dinner 

Staffs managing these canteens are lighting candles after 7 pm to enable people to eat in some light at night. There are more than 60 employees and two cooks who work in the canteens and they have not been paid their salaries since the last six months. Life has become miserable for them as they are struggling to make ends meet after paying house rent and other bills. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Indira Canteen contractor Basavalingappa and Manager Vijayalakshmi said that the Government has to pay Rs. 3.50 crore since March 2020 and there are no signs of funds arriving soon. “We are struggling day by day and there are more than 65 employees who depend on these canteens for livelihood. We do not have any other source of income and the situation looks scary,” they said.