The Hindu               03.06.2013

Amma canteens inaugurated

Response overwhelming, says Corporation Commissioner.

N. Baghyalakshmi was one among the several enthusiastic
consumers to have food at Amma canteens, moments after Chief Minister
Jayalalithaa inaugurated the budget canteens across the State on Sunday
afternoon.

The autorickshaw driver, who has 15 years
experience, says that the canteens will help workers or daily wagers
like her. “As a driver, I stand to benefit on two counts – one, I can
save time spent on cooking breakfast and utilise the same to ferry
passengers, and, two, save money.”

She says that if
she were to cook food for a family of four like hers, she will have to
spend at least Rs. 100 towards fuel, vegetables, condiments and rice. If
the family dines at the canteens, the maximum it will spend will be Rs.
30 – Rs. 35. It gets to save Rs. 70 or so, which can be spent on
children’s education or saved.

R. Jayanthi, also an
autorickshaw driver, says that she can serve her student-clients in time
as she will be able to save time by not cooking breakfast and having
idli
at the canteens. Plus, the canteens also come with a facility, as auto
rickshaw drivers, they can have food as and when they want and at any of
the 10 centres in the city.

There were daily wagers,
casual labourers and many others who had food on the first day.
Corporation Commissioner G. Latha says that within a couple of hours,
almost all of the 10 centres had exhausted the tokens. “The response was
overwhelming,” she adds.

The Commissioner has asked
Assistant Commissioners in charge of the five zones to monitor the
quality of food and ensure cleanliness at the centres. She says that at
present the Corporation will divert staff and thereafter appoint a few
in consultation with the Government.

At the end of
the inauguration at the Flower Market centre, Mayor S.M. Velusamy, Ms.
Latha, Deputy Commissioner S. Sivarasu, Chief Engineer in-charge K.
Sugumar and others visited the remaining nine centres.

Mr. Velusamy has asked the self-help groups managing the centre to get ready for Monday’s work of serving people.

According
to sources, the Corporation will pay Rs. 250 a day to each of the
members of the 10 SHGs managing the 10 canteens. It will meet the
expenditure from its General Fund.

The Corporation
will buy milk from the milk cooperative federation (Aavin), rice and
other groceries from Chinthamani and vegetables from the open market,
the sources add.

A total of 10 economy restaurants commenced its functioning in Tirupur on Sunday.

For
the predominant working class/floating population in the Tirupur
knitwear cluster, the restaurants would be a big relief as it offers
breakfast and lunch at rock-bottom prices.

The
canteens were located at Kumaran Complex near railway station, old bus
stand, Thennampalayam Market Complex, Chandrapuram, Nallur,
Velampalayam, AVP Road, Aathupalayam, Pandian Nagar and Chinnasamiammal
Corporation school premises at Kongu Nagar.

Corporation
officials said a total of 12 cooks would be there in each of the 10
restaurants to prepare dishes, who were outsourced through women SHGs.

Minister
for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment M.S.M. Anandan, Collector
G. Govindaraj, Mayor Visalakshi Appukutty, Deputy Mayor S. Gunaseakaran
and Corporation Commissioner K.R. Selvaraj supervised the inaugural sale
at the outlets.