KOCHI: Chicken biriyani, five chappatis, chicken curry and a one-litre bottle of water for Rs 125. It is not the rate of a combo meal at any government-run subsidised canteen, but the amount you need to pay for a yummy lunch delivered right at your doorstep straight from the kitchen of the district jail. In fact, it is hugely popular among techies of the IT corridor in Kakkanad.
Wonder how? Freedom Food Factory, the food production unit at Kakkanad District Jail, on Thursday tied up with food delivery company Uber Eats to provide food prepared by inmates to customers. Prison DGP Rishiraj Singh launched the facility during a function held at the district jail.“Currently, around one lakh chappatis along with curry are prepared and sold through eight jails in the state,” he said.
“Now, 30 per cent food product sales take place through online apps. So, we are also switching to online mode and expect to increase sales substantially. At Thiruvananthapuram, we started the online food delivery facility last week. Now, we are selling food items worth more than ` 20,000 daily through online platform alone,” he said.
Singh said the main intention of food production in the jail is correction and rehabilitation of inmates. “Currently, we pay close to `200 for an inmate engaged in food preparation. The amount accumulated by each prisoner is given to him when he is released,” Singh said.
K V Jagadeeshan, superintendent of Kakkanad district jail, said orders through Uber Eats app are accepted from 11 am to 4 pm daily. “Other than combo meal, we provide chappatis, chilli gobi, chilli chicken, chicken 65, ghee rice, chicken biriyani, vegetable curry, egg curry and chicken curry through the app. Once the order is placed, the items are prepared and handed over to the delivery person,” he said. Currently, food is supplied within an eight-km radius of the jail.
Daily, 45 persons are involved in preparing food. These inmates work in two shifts - 3 am to 9 am and 9 am to 4 pm. Around four sacks of wheat flour are used to make chappatis. As much as 25 kg chicken is required for biryani and other dishes. The food products are also sold through the outlet outside the jail and through mobile units at Vytilla Mobility Hub, Ernakulam General Hospital and Kerala High Court premises every day.
Food an app away: