Indira Canteens all set to start afresh

With Congress-led State Govt. deciding to infuse a new lease of life, canteens are expected to bounce back with changes in menu, other new additions

Mysore/Mysuru: Indira Canteens in city that were waiting for patrons are all set to get a new lease of life.

Following directions from the State Government, the works are on to refurbish canteens that were providing food at affordable rate, catering to the hunger pangs of the poor and needy. The basic infrastructural facilities are under check, besides planning to bring changes in the menu and modification of CCTV cameras among several others in the making.

Mysuru, the City of Palaces that is also the home town of Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, has 11 Indira Canteens. Though the contractors running the canteens are waiting for the clearance of pending bills, they were somehow running the facility.

With the new Congress Government in place, giving a green signal to infuse a new lease of life to these canteens, the staff and customers are eagerly looking at the changes in the offing.

Of the total 11 Indira Canteens in the city, the canteens at Kumbarakoppal and Alanahalli are equipped with Centralised Kitchen to supply food to remaining canteens. The kitchen at Alanahalli supplies food to six canteens and Kumbarakoppal kitchen supplies to remaining five canteens.

Barring the canteen in the premises of K.R. Hospital, Alanahalli, Kumbarakoppal (opposite Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research) and near KSRTC Sub-Urban Bus Stand, which have much takers, the other canteens see less footfalls.

At several canteens, the latches of toilet doors are broken raising safety concerns, followed by other complaints on lack of drinking water supply, hygienic atmosphere, faded painting of the building and broken windows that need repair. Most importantly, the pending bills should be cleared along with future bills, that have to be cleared at the Government level.

A Manager of Indira Canteen told Star of Mysore, “When the canteens started, there was a rush of customers with many thronging the place for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The canteen at K.R. Hospital alone was seeing a business of Rs. 13,000 to Rs. 14,000 per day. As the days progressed, rumours spread about the canteen shutting door and since then the number of customers dwindled. Now, 400 to 500 people visit the canteen daily.”

The breakfast is priced at Rs. five and lunch and dinner with rice, curry and curd rice at Rs. 10.

If the canteen was run in the same pace without any hurdles, there would have been more demand. As the Government itself announced to stop the facility, the people stopped coming. Moreover, those who were eating to their appetite at a lesser price were also deprived, the Manager of an Indira Canteen rued.

In another two weeks, the restoration works will start with some of the Officers from Bengaluru already inspecting the facilities, following State Government’s decision to restore them. The business is expected to be back in the reckoning like earlier days, said the Manager in a confident tone.

Health Officer of Mysuru City Corporation Dr. D.G. Nagaraj said: “Unlike other parts of the State, where several Indira Canteens were closed, we have been running the canteens in Mysuru city. The contractor is running the canteens, despite waiting for clearance of bills for the last one year. Preliminary arrangements are being made to open Indira Canteen built at Udayagiri, but waiting for inauguration. We are also focussing on clearing the pending bills of contractors.”