GCC to serve one free meal to cleanliness staff from Saturday

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin will launch the free meal scheme for cleanliness workers on Saturday, Chennai Mayor R Priya said on Wednesday, after inspecting various development projects underway in the Royapuram zone.

Accompanied by the minister for Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), PK Sekar Babu, mayor Priya inspected the ongoing construction of a Rs 8.55-crore community hall in VOC Street, Wall Tax Road.

Addressing the media, after the inspection, the mayor said, "The free meal scheme has received a huge response from cleanliness workers who work on a rotational shift; the provision of food will be a boon to them."

As per a government order issued in October: "the civic body will provide one free daily meal to 29,455 conservancy workers in Chennai, with the meal schedule (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) based on their shifts.

This initiative, which will also cover workers under private contractors, will later be replicated in other local bodies. As many as 3,628 permanent employees, 415 NMR staff, 2,946 self-help group workers, 8,901 under Urbaser, and 5,346 under Ramky Enviro Engineers, plus others from various NGOs, will get the food. Further, the scheme will eventually be extended to workers across the State.

The mayor added, "Only some minor works are pending in Victoria Public Hall, which will be completed soon. CM Stalin will be inaugurating it in the coming month.”

Earlier, both the mayor and the minister together inspected the construction of a Chennai higher secondary school in Wall Tax Road, constructed at a cost of Rs 1.41 crore. They also checked the quality of the breakfast served to students under the chief minister's breakfast scheme.

Officials of CMDA, Chennai Corporation, and local representatives were present at the event.