KOCHI: How much of an impact does a serving of masala dosa have on an IT company? Ask Amrita, a techie at Infopark, and she will tell you: “It is of paramount importance.”
The non-availability of the item at her office canteen these past two days has her mulling over taking work from home for the remainder of the week. And as luck would have it, the German company sent an office-wide email on Thursday, encouraging employees to work from home. Reason: Non-availability of commercial LPG cylinders to run canteens.
“We thought the war was far away. However, it feels like it is affecting everything,” Amrita said.
In Infopark, several companies have introduced considerable changes to their canteen menu. Lakshmi P, another techie, told TNIE that her company alerted its employees on Thursday that canteen timings have changed.
“That’s not all. There’s been a revision in the menu as well. All live fry items, such as dosa and Chinese dishes, have been stopped,” she said.
In another tower at the IT hub, a large poster has been stuck announcing a similar message. It informed employees that while canteen timings will continue as usual, “a few food vendors may be unable to offer services.”
This would not have been a problem had eateries in the Infopark vicinity continued to operate as usual. “That is not the case. Many have already shut, and more are likely to follow suit in the coming days,” said Jilu Joy, a software programmer.
As TNIE reported on Thursday, over 70% of hotels and restaurants in Kerala are likely to shut by this weekend due to the non-availability of commercial LPG cylinders.
Alakapuri restaurant in Kakkanad, which most techies rely on, has enough gas to last 3-4 days. This has placed additional pressure on canteens.
Even eateries inside Infopark, including Paragon, are feeling the heat of this surge in demand and the unavailability of gas. “Many canteens have already shut, and several are only offering tea and light snacks,” said Sandeep Thomas, who works in a startup here.
“If this persists, more and more companies are likely to offer work from home,” said a techie who did not want to be named.
However, staff who work in auxiliary companies in Infopark do not have that option. “Our canteen has closed. But we are still required to work,” said a bank staff.
Infopark CEO Susanth Kurunthil told TNIE that while “operations of private canteens do not fall directly under the park’s administrative purview (the vendors take care of it), the management is closely monitoring the situation.”
“We are intervening at various levels to ensure LPG supply stabilises and that food services can continue without major disruptions,” Susanth added.