Closure of herbal canteen at corporation upsets employees

An office assistant (OA) said, “We used to get a nice meal in the afternoon for Rs 15. The canteen was closed before Deepavali citing maintenance as the reason. But, the work is yet to start. Due to this, I am forced to spend more and eat in hotels outside the office.”

When contacted Dr Veera Babu, who ran the canteen, said that the eatery had been functioning for 7 years without any maintenance work and recently it was closed to carry out the work.

Hand wash area, chairs and tables were in bad shape and unhygienic condition. The walls also needed maintenance. As more people depended on this canteen, we have to maintain it spic and span, he added.

However, it is learnt that Veera Babu has been seeking the civic body’s support for the upkeep of the canteen. “As the building is owned by the Corporation, I cannot start maintenance work without approval from officials,” he added.

Meanwhile, a Chennai Corporation official said that the maintenance work would be started only after a tender process. “We cannot violate tender rules and any work, either small or big, should be carried out as per rules,” the official said.

On an average, nearly 1,000 persons, including officials and public, use the herbal canteen, which was the precursor to Amma canteens. “I will reopen the herbal canteen once the corporation completes maintenance work,” Veera Babu assured.