In what turned out to be a New Year’s gift for the force, a fully-automated, air-conditioned mess for the Delhi Police constables was opened recently at Kingsway camp police lines.
‘First of its kind’
The centralised mess was recently renovated and inaugurated on January 5. The idea behind renovation of the old mess was to maintain hygiene, safety, and quality of food from production to consumption, said S.S. Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Armed Police).
“In terms of facilities, the mess is the first of its kind in the country. Around 300 constables can lunch or dine at the same time in the mess. Maintaining the food quality and cleanliness in and around the mess premises was our priority,” said Mr. Yadav.
Earlier, there were three separate messes meant for use by the first battalion, second and third battalion, and fifth and sixth battalion. The police said that for better monitoring and supervision, all three were combined into one central mess. Before handing over the renovated mess to the existing staff, a special training session was called for cooks and assistant cooks, cleaning staff and others. Currently, around 800 constables visit the mess daily.
The cost of a meal is ₹25 for mess members and ₹35 for non-members.
Other facilities
“Now the mess for constables is better than the officer’s mess. The quality of food and the kitchen has improved a lot. We even have automatic machines to do dishes,” said Prem Singh, who has been working as a cook with the Delhi police for the last 36 years.
Apart from the mess, the premises has other facilities like rest rooms, a salon, café, library and air-rifle shooting range. The entire premises has been renovated and brought forward in terms of technology and facilities. “
“This change was most awaited... it feels good when your organisation treats you well and takes care of your health. Now, I lunch every day in the mess,” said Puneet Kumar, a constable.
