In a bid to ensure that meals prepared in community kitchens do not go bad by the time they reach the needy, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has provided 40 air-conditioned (AC) mini buses to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to deliver food packets to the hungry across the city.
Senior BEST officials said seats have been removed from the AC mini buses to create space to store the food packets. For the past 10 days, the buses have been going around the city distributing food to the underprivileged and migrant workers who are going hungry due to the lockdown.
Surging temperatures
A senior BEST official said, “There are 29 kitchens across 25 wards in the city, which are preparing meals for the needy. With rising temperatures, there was a risk of the food going bad as the delivery points are spread across several locations in the city. Therefore, AC buses are being used for the purpose.”
The official said the temperature in the buses is being maintained between 16 and 17 degrees Celsius. A minimum of one bus and a maximum of three are distributing food in each ward. The buses pick up the food packets around 8.30 a.m. every day and deliver them between 9.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. In the evening shift, the buses deliver food between 6.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.
When the buses are not delivering meals, the BEST is using them to help community kitchens transport cardboard cartons in which the food packets are stored.