The Karnataka government’s flagship initiative — Indira Canteen — that provides subsidised food is set to go mobile in some locations in the city. Unable to find government-owned land in at least 15 wards to build the canteens, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to operate food trucks instead.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad told The Hindu that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had cleared the proposal to operate mobile canteens on food trucks in wards where no land was available to build the canteens. Ironically, the BBMP is yet to formulate rules for operating food trucks in the city.
“We will seek professional help to design these trucks based on the requirements of Indira canteens. Food to these trucks will be supplied from the kitchens of the same Assembly constituency, as planned earlier, and the trucks will have a designated parking slot and will function during the same timings as other canteens,” he said, adding that a pilot of three trucks would be done soon. There was a proposal to buy land in these wards to build the canteens. However, it was shot down as the Finance Ministry, headed by the Chief Minister, refused to clear the proposal owing to high costs that would be incurred, sources said.
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Each Indira Canteen needs 1,600 sq. ft of land, which will cost over ₹1 crore in most of the wards where the BBMP has been unable to find government land. Some of the wards that will see these food trucks are Banashankari, Koramangala, BTM Layout, J.P. Nagar, Yelahanka New Town, Kengeri, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Chalavadipalya, Bommanahalli, Marappanapalya, and Govindarajnagar. A few proposed sites for canteens in these wards were dropped following protests as they were parks and open spaces.