Bhubaneswar Aahar centres to reopen from May 15

BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation on Sunday said the Aahar Centres in the City will reopen from May 15.All the Aahar centres, some of which were damaged or partially-affected in cyclone Fani, have been lying closed since May 3. Surprisingly, the centres which were spared by the cyclone have also been closed.

With the Aahar centres closed, poor people visiting the Capital for various works are facing a lot of inconvenience as they are unable to afford hotel food. Moreover, patients and their attendants in Capital Hospital are also facing problems as the Aahar centre on the hospital premises has been closed. This apart, residents of different slums in the City were depending on these centres which provided cheap meal (cooked rice and dal) at just `5.

The City has 11 Aahar centres. BMC officials said the centres had to be closed after they sustained large-scale damage in the cyclone. Besides, the central kitchen near Nakhara from where the food was being supplied to these centres, had also sustained damage. This was the main reason due to which the civic body was unable to serve meals at the centres, they said.

The officials said all Aahar centres in the City will start operation from Wednesday. “The State Government as well as Housing and Urban Development department are providing necessary support for reopening of the centres and the central kitchen facility,” they said.

Meanwhile, the BMC officials said the civic body will also open 200 ‘Jal Seva Sibirs’ (temporary water kiosks) across the City soon. BMC will provide an assistance of `5,000 to all the agencies concerned for reopening these kiosks which were damaged in the cyclone.