BENGALURU: Technological interventions in IT hub Bengaluru have enabled the revival of Indira Canteens, which will now take orders just as it’s done in private restaurants and food courts -- on digital screens which will be monitored at the head office. However, this idea has not gone down well with citizens and activists, with some even terming it another scam in the making.
While Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) claims that of 169 Indira Canteens (IC), 160 are functioning, citizens and activists say the ground reality is different. They point out that many canteens, including those in Nagarbhavi, Bannerghatta Road, Queen’s Road, Magadi Road and Jayanagar 7th Block, are locked.
A senior BBMP official told TNIE that tenders will soon be called to digitise the setup in ICs. “There are reports that ICs are not functioning. It could be because of contractor problems, canteen problems, staff issues, few or even missing meals. We need to know what customers think and what is the problem. So we are working on introducing digital screens in ICs, where customers will place orders and they will be noted on the screens. These screens will be linked to the head office and orders will be monitored live. Through this, we will get to know which ones are functioning, where the demand is high, what are the complaints and what citizens feel. Tenders for this will soon be called and BBMP’s IT wing is preparing the details,” said an official from the BBMP health section.
BBMP officials said digital screen trials were done in 15 Rajarajeshwari Nagar zone ICs and said there was positive feedback. The trials were done free of cost.
But citizens and activists are not convinced. “The problem with ICs is food quality, the contractors and canteen locations. Instead of investing on quality and hygiene, BBMP is turning to technology. When BBMP knows contractors and agencies are a problem, they should give catering orders to local cooks and groups. This will also ensure local employment,” said Tara Krishnaswamy, from Citizens for Bengaluru.