Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Feb 26: Due to the neglect of the government, Indira Canteens, started with the ambition of providing food at a nominal cost to the poor people, are going through hard times. Indira Canteens at Puttur, Sullia and Bantwal has remained closed from the last six days.
These canteens had been initiated by the Siddaramaiah government. Now because of the neglect of the government, the staff of Canteens have not been paid any salaries from the last four months As such, the above three Canteens are closed.
Indira Canteen (file photo)
Seven workers employed at each of these three canteens have been working. It is learnt that after October, none of the workers got their pay. The staff, fed up of waiting for their salaries, closed down the canteens from Saturday onward and went home.
Indian Human Welfare Council which has been running 130 canteens in the state, says that district administrations have not disbursed money due to them for the last 11 months. They point out that they cannot go on spending from their own pockets. The people are also at a loss to understand why the state government has not asked district administration to release grants to the companies running the canteens.
The Indira Canteens at Bantwal has been operational from the last 18 months while the one at Sullia is one year old.
During the corona lockdown period, customers were less but migrant workers could find them helpful. After the lockdown was lifted and colleges began to operate, their business had picked up as students also depended on them. But the sudden closure of canteens has come as a rude shock for them.
Indira Canteen manager, Majeed Arlapadavu, says that the staff have not got their salary after October and that they are fed up of borrowing from others. He says that the company has been in formed and canteens were closed as there is no other way to keep them operational.
Shashikumar, who belongs to the administration department of the Indian Human Welfare Council which operates the canteens, says that the government has to pay them Rs 21 crore and every month, Rs 95 lac is spent towards staff salary. He added that efforts will be made to sort out the problem.