BHUBANESWAR: Amid fear of coronavirus pandemic, the Odisha government on Tuesday extended time for serving food at Aahar centres across the state to slow down the movement of the crowd and decongest the centres.
As per the order issued by the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department, people will now be able to have the Rs 5 meal at these centres from morning 10 am to 4 pm.
People have been asked to make a queue and maintain 1.5 metre distance from each other during serving of food at the centres.
H&UD secretary G Mathivathanan asked collectors, municipal commissioners and executive officers of Notified Area Councils (NACs) to take the help of police and home guards, if required, to regulate the crowd and maintain discipline at the centres.
He also asked the officials concerned to ensure hand wash system outside the cheap meal canteens and ensure people wash their hands before joining the queue to avail the subsidised meal.
At the time of purchasing token, the Aahar beneficiaries will require to drop money inside a box kept at the counter to minimise physical contact. The token counters will be sanitised frequently.
The collectors and civic body authorities have also been asked to take measures to decongest the hand wash area inside the hall.
The government has advised that if required people be encouraged to carry their Aahar meal outside the canteen to eat to prevent mass gathering. It has also asked authorities to ensure adequate drinking water facility at the centres.