They were present in hundreds much before dinner time to get the free meal on the inaugural day of Indira Canteen on a rainy Wednesday. Some came in cars, while others braved the rain to get a taste of the food that will be served for ₹10 from Thursday.
But people had to wait for at least an hour after the designated dinner time of 7.30 p.m. at most canteens that The Hindu visited.
The problem, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials said, was that only six of the total 27 kitchens from where food is transported were ready.
‘Traffic, rain caused delay’
“Production was not the issue and food was ready by 6 p.m. But only canteens at HAL Airport Road, Sahakarnagar, Rajajinagar, Madanayakanahalli, Gunjur and Jayanagar are working now. As a result, the routes as per standardisation were not followed. Rain and traffic were the major contributors to the delay,” said Manoj Ranjan, Special Commissioner for BBMP in-charge of Indira Canteen. He added that all 101 canteens will serve dinner.
Though food did arrive in some parts between 8.15 p.m. and 8.40 p.m., miffed citizens at the canteen on Millers Road started to leave when they had not been served even by 9 p.m.
Amar Narayana, who left without eating, said: “I cannot wait endlessly like this for food. I will go home and eat something instead.”
At the canteen in Kempegowda Nagar too, scores of citizens, including students, returned disappointed when food did not arrive even at 9 p.m.
One councillor admitted that there needed to be improvement in the administrative side of the canteens. “It is sad that food has not come yet. But I have faith that things will be set right by tomorrow,” he said.
All done in 45 minutes
In the canteen at Jogupalya, food was available by 8.15 p.m. but they ran out of sambar by 9 p.m. and people had to eat just curd rice. But few were complaining. Kanakamma and Kalavathi, who work at the BBMP Referral Hospital next door, said the canteen was convenient for them during or after work hours.
Once the canteen at Kuvempu Nagar ward ran out of food, unfazed citizens marched to the nearby Doddabommasandra ward canteen. Here too, service was over by 9 p.m.
Applause greets food
At the canteen in Radhakrishna Temple ward, where the arrival of food was greeted with applause, Naveen M., who runs a non-veg canteen in Lottegollahalli, was the first to eat dinner. “I’m really surprised at both the quality and quantity of food being served for ₹10. The quality is good and if they maintain it, the canteens will be successful,” he said.
There were many families who had come to dine. One such family of six said the quality of food was very good and it was just like a home-cooked meal. “It’s evident that there seems to be no soda in the rice,” said Priya, while her father Shankar added that coffee and tea in the evening would make the canteens a bigger hit.
