Amidst concerns about the quality of food served at the recently inaugurated Indira Canteens across the city, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad on Friday said that they had put in place strict quality control measures.
Speaking to presspersons here, he said there had been no compromise on quality, and that nodal officials have been appointed to keep tab on the same. Mr. Prasad said CCTV cameras would be set up at all the canteens and soon, motion detection cameras also would be installed in both the kitchens and canteens.
He admitted that the canteens were providing food to around 300 people, as against 500 announced earlier. “The number of meals served will be increased to 500,” he said. Tenders for providing meals had been awarded to two agencies – Rewards and Chef Talk. Both were providing meals at ₹32. He also said that work on 18 kitchens was in progress. In the next 10 days, six kitchens would be ready.
Mr. Prasad also clarified that there was no dearth of funds. The State government had sanctioned ₹200 crore under Nagarottana scheme.
Meanwhile, acknowledging that there was some teething trouble in the canteens, Mayor G. Padmavathi said these would be set right soon. “101 canteens were set up in just 60 days. We know there are some issues. We are confident of setting these issues right within 15 days,” she added. These problems included food not reaching on time and inadequate quantity, among others.
Ms. Padmavathi said nearly 2.51 lakh citizens have eaten in the 101 canteens since the launch on August 16. “We have received reports of citizens queuing up in front of the canteens. We are looking into the demand at each canteen and will be sending food to them accordingly,” she said.