A joint venture consortium of the Dubai-based Outlook and the Kochi-based Kitchen Solutions will prepare food for pilgrims at the Annadana Mandapam of the Travancore Devaswom Board at Pampa during the coming Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrim season.
The TDB and the High Power Committee (HPC) on Sabarimala Master Plan have finalised a tender worth Rs. 2.56 crore submitted by the consortium, which agreed to prepare the food at a modern kitchen for the next two years.
G.Muraleekrishnan, TDB chief engineer, said the consortium would prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The materials for preparing the food would be supplied by the TDB and a quality assurance mechanism would be in place.
Ajay Tharayil, TDB member, told The Hindu that the three-storey Annadana Mandapam was constructed at a cost of Rs 3.7 crore as per a design submitted by the Chennai-based consultants of the Sabarimala Master Plan, Pithavadiyan and Partners Limited.
A competent agency would serve the food at the mandapam, he said.
G.Mahesh, chief architect of the Chennai-based consultants, said the idea was to ensure superior quality food for the pilgrims at the Annadana Mandapam.
Mr. Mahesh said the HPC had specified certain conditions in the tender document which the consortium had fully complied with. The kitchen would have an automatic cooking system, dishwashers, etc.
He said food safety guidelines had been fully complied with while designing the mandapam. The dishes would be prepared as per the menu of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.
Annadanam at the new mandapam would begin from the start of the pilgrim season on November 16.
