KOCHI: Believe it or not, the Kakkanad District Jail has become a tasty hotspot. The culinary prowess of the inmates has made its chicken biriyani a big hit so much so there is a big crowd of customers at the food court outside the prison seeking the coveted dish. Jail superintendent G Chandrababu said such good quality food at a low price is not available anywhere else in the city.A plate of chicken biriyani at the food court run by inmates costs only Rs 60 and the dish gets sold out quickly.
“Profit is a secondary matter, but the key intention is providing vocational training to inmates which will help in their rehabilitation. We operate the food court for public interest as well. We are planning to bring up new ventures like chilli chicken, chicken kebab and other delicious items soon. The biriyani has received a good response and about 400 people from various places come to the food court on a daily basis,” said Chandrababu.
Often, the inmates cannot meet the rising demand for biriyani and this has forced the authorities to think of increasing the quantity. The biriyani is sold in 500g portions. The outlet also sells ghee rice and chicken curry. Similarly, ‘Metro Freedom’ chappati prepared by the inmates are also sold at a very reasonable price and it is hugely popular among the public, especially techies of Infopark. The chappati is sold at Rs 2, chicken curry for Rs 25 and egg curry at Rs 15. “The hygiene aspect is beyond compare,” he said.
The food court also provides ‘Share a Meal’ coupons. ‘Share a Meal’ is a charity venture by which a person buying food from the jail food court can also contribute food for the penniless. Any hungry person with no money in his pocket can pick a coupon pinned at the outlets and buy food.“There is an overwhelming response from inmates to get engaged in cooking and other related works. They are also paid for this and the amount would be sent to their family,” the officer said.