The canteen that was closed citing the renovation works just before Deepavali holidays is yet to be opened. Incidentally, the civic body has not even commenced the renovation works.

Insiders in the civic body hinted that the delay is due to the initiative taken by canteen management, who had approached a former mayor of the Greater Chennai Corporation instead of a higher official to address certain issues. The higher official who did not consider ‘bypassing’ lightly has put a spanner in the works. 

The canteen was selling afternoon meal at Rs 15. Sources in the civic body said that the concerned higher official openly refused to process the files pertaining to the renovation of the canteen building asking, “Why are you bringing the file now if someone can make things happen by bypassing me?”

Meanwhile, the regular customers, most of them are economically weak, are spending more on apparently unhygienic food sold outside while the officials are using official cars to bring home-made food to their offices.  “The higher officials never ate in the canteen. But lack of Corporation canteen force has been burning holes in our pockets just because someone’s ego was hurt,” a lower ranking official lamented.