The Hindu 16.05.2013
Pongal, chapathis soon at Amma eateries
Menu expansion a welcome move, say patrons; officials say new dishes may be in by month-end.
In summer, it is normal for curd to sour as the mercury
rises. But at Chennai Corporation’s 200 budget restaurants, the curd
rice, at Rs. 5 per plate, continues to melt in the mouth.
The
self-help groups (SHGs) running these restaurants buy fresh curd every
morning from local Aavin milk parlours to ensure that customers are not
left with a tangy aftertaste. And as the popularity of these eateries
soars, they are set to get a more varied menu.
On
Wednesday, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly that
more dishes would be brought in, and an evening menu too, would be
introduced.
Corporation officials said everything was
already in place to start the supply of dishes including pongal and
various kinds of rice, in about 10 days.
But the
decision on when to start serving these new dishes is yet to be taken.
Chapathis however, will make an appearance on September 1, an official
said.
He added that the introduction of these new
items is expected to reduce the consumption of idlis (at Re. 1 each) at
the canteens.
Another customer also welcomed the move to introduce more items to the menu.
“When
I retire next year I will get a pension of Rs. 1,900 a month. This will
be hardly to make ends meet. These restaurants will be really useful to
me,” he said.
Munuswamy, a watchman who works on
Habibullah Road, and had come in for lunch to the Amma Unavagam in T.
Nagar, said the portions served were generous.
“One
portion of sambar rice and one of curd rice makes for a good meal, at
Rs. 8,” he said, adding that he was happy with the decision to add items
to the menu.
But not everyone is satisfied with the service.
An
autorickshaw driver from Abhiramapuram complained that the SHG members
did not wash their hands before serving food. He also said the women
hurled abuses at each other in front of customers.
His complaint has been forwarded to the Corporation Commissioner.
The job of the SHG members includes preparing and serving food, and cleaning up before and after breakfast and lunch.
Lalitha,
a resident of Teynampet, said she worked at the T. Nagar restaurant
from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a salary of Rs. 300 a day.
Around
2,500 idlis (at Re. 1 per idli), and 1,000 plates each of sambar and
curd rice are sold daily at the eateries. About 450 customers are served
every morning, officials said.
At present, the
Corporation’s sanitary inspectors supervise the maintenance of the
restaurants. They also ensure that garbage is picked up, and the
surrounding areas cleaned.
