THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 'Food for Freedom', an initiative by Kerala Government Department of Prison and Correctional Service, has been drawing hordes of customers with their "hygienic, well-managed and delicious" food varieties available at the takeaway counter in Thampanoor Bus Terminal and other mobile counters in the city including Museum, East Fort and medical college.
Now, they are all set to take a new step to reach the prison-prepared dishes to the masses through online food delivery services.
After the Viyyur Central Prison in Thrissur district which has tied up with the food delivery app 'Swiggy' to deliver food at the customers' doorsteps, the Poojappura Central Jail is all set to follow the same path. In the coming days, the city residents will be able to order parotta, chappathi and biriyani combos through Uber Eats, one of the most popular food delivery services in the city.
The prison authorities say that the idea to deliver the food prepared in the jails was mooted by Prison DGP Rishi Raj Singh. Vinod Kumar, former superintendent of Poojappura prison says the popularity of the jail food has been fetching them orders for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries. “ We have been experiencing a rise in the number of customers in all our food counters, especially in the Food for Freedom cafeteria. Every day there is a huge rush in all our counters and the food is prepared without any preservatives and is hygienic as it comes in sealed covers. This might be the reason why there are more takers every day,” said Vinod.
More than 200 inmates have been preparing the dishes and serving the city through their takeaway counters and the cafeteria Food for Freedom, near the jail compound for a long time. The raw materials for the cooking are produced by the inmates themselves in the jail compound and are free from pesticides. “ The main aim of the initiative is to make the jail products more accessible to the public and at a reasonable price,” said a food supervisor at Food for Freedom counter at Thampanoor Bus Terminal.
Poojappura Central Jail is known for its chappathi-mutton chaps, kanji-payar and kappa and chutney combos. Some more combos will be offered online from Poojappura prison which includes biriyani with fried chicken, pickle, salad and lime juice at Rs 99, ghee rice and chicken fry/beef roast at Rs 139, Kerala porotta and chicken thoran at Rs 90. The Poojappura Prison authorities have entered into an agreement with Uber Eats and will soon be delivering the jail delicacies online. For Onam, the prison authorities are planning to deliver Onasadya online from the prison.