In a move to dispel doubts about the quality of food served in Indira Canteens, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, who is also Bengaluru Development Minister, inspected kitchens at Deepanjalinagar and visited the canteens at Vijaynagar and Dasappa Junction on Thursday morning. He was accompanied by Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun and senior officials.
He directed officials to collect samples for testing from all the kitchens and canteens.
Mr. Parameshwara told reporters that samples from 33 canteens and kitchens had already been collected and sent to Dasappa Hospital, Public Health Institute and a few other laboratories for tests. He has directed officials to ensure that cleanliness is accorded top priority in all canteens.
“Stringent action will be initiated if cleanliness is not maintained in the kitchens and canteens,” he said.
On the allegation by BJP councillor Umesh Shetty of poor quality of food being served in the Indira Canteens, Mr. Parameshwara said it is unclear if the food samples that were tested were indeed from the canteens.
He has directed officials to collect samples from the central kitchens every week in the presence of the jurisdictional health officer and the canteen supervisor. Citizens who wish to get food samples tested privately must also follow the same protocol, he stated and added that if complaints are received about the food served, the government would direct the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to revoke the existing tender and float a fresh one.
On the allegation that bogus tokens were being issued in a few canteens to inflate figures, Mr. Parameshwara said the BBMP would soon introduce an electronic token system that cannot be manipulated.
