Greater Chennai Corporation sets aside ₹7.06 crore to improve equipment at 353 Amma Canteens

A view of the Amma Canteen in Chintadripet in Chennai.
| Photo Credit: M. SRINATH

The Greater Chennai Corporation has allocated ₹7.06 crore to enhance equipment at 353 Amma Unavagams across 15 zones, as per a resolution passed at the General Council meeting presided over by Mayor R. Priya, on Tuesday.

This comes after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inspected Amma Canteens, and announced, on July 19, 2024, that 388 Amma Canteens in Chennai will receive an upgrade, with a budget allocation of ₹21 crore. Of this, ₹14 crore will be used to upgrade 388 canteens, including those in seven government hospitals, and ₹7 crore will be spent on replacing old utensils with new ones.

The estimated cost for the new items – according to price details obtained from two private companies – are ₹2,08,275 for Thiruvottiyur and Tondiarpet zones, and ₹1,87,218, for Kodambakkam zone (X), respectively. An RO plant capable of supplying 200 to 500 litres per hour costs ₹50,000, the resolution mentioned.

Following news reports highlighting non-functional equipment and infrastructure issues, including damaged electric appliances and dining areas, in many Amma Unavagams, the Corporation plans to replace and repair the faulty items at an estimated cost ranging between ₹2.3 lakh and ₹2.5 lakh for each Unavagam.

Overall, the Corporation has directed that at least ₹2 lakh will be allocated for each Unavagam with a kitchen. The repair and procurement process will follow a tender that will be rolled out, the GCC stated in the resolution.

It is to be noted that the budget estimate for 2022-23 had revealed an expenditure of ₹22 lakh towards equipment for the canteens, but the revised estimate showed no expense. Similarly, ₹2 lakh was listed as possible expenditure on equipment in 2023-24, but the revised estimate showed no expense.

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