As many as five ‘Amma Unavagams,’ constructed by the Department of Municipal Administrations, are waiting for a VIP to declare them open for more than three months.
The concept of ‘Amma Unavagams’ was introduced by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to provide hygienic food at a cheaper cost to the poor and the downtrodden.
The ‘Amma Unavagams’ were constructed in Vadaseri bus stand and inside Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital (KGMCH) in Nagercoil town by Nagercoil Municipality, and three other ‘unavagams’ were constructed inside the market in Padmanabhapuram, near bus stands in Marthandam in Kuzhithurai municipality and Colachel by the municipalities concerned.
The estimated cost of construction of each ‘unavagam’ was Rs. 25 lakh and cooking utensils were provided at a cost Rs. 6 lakh for each canteen.
The construction of these ‘unavagams’ begun simultaneously during July-August last year and ended at the end of November, 2014.
An official attached to Nagercoil Municipality told The Hindu that minor works regarding drainage were pending at the one in Vadaseri bus stand and the work inside the canteen at the KGMCH was finished in toto.
Former Minister and AIADMK district secretary N. Thalavai Sundaram said minor pending works would be completed soon.
Though the ‘Amma Unavagams’ are awaiting inauguration, the facility within the KGMCH campus has been a long-felt need in view of the number of visitors calling on and attending to hundreds of patients daily.
The 600-bed hospital has an average of over 2,600 visitors daily, said M. Radhakrishnan, Medical Superintendent. The spacious dining halls in all these ‘unavagams’ could accommodate more than 100 people at any time.
However, the ‘unavagam’ in Kuzhithurai municipality has minor works that are yet to be completed, an official said.
