Old City cries foul

Charminar: Even as the municipal authorities are claiming to run ‘Rs 5 a Meal’ canteens for every division in Hyderabad, people in the Old City claim otherwise. Complaints are soaring from different parts of Old City that canteens are not functioning properly.

Highlights:

• There are about 150 canteens for Rs 5 a meal
• Tara Nagar Vegetable Market canteen has highest supply with 14 vessels
• Each vessel carries 24 kg of food
• Although largely appreciated, residents in Old City raise complaints regarding supply
• Delayed supply depriving deserving people, they claim

It was also complained that many canteens were not working on time and that there was a delay by the organisers in distributing food resulting in inconvenience to the people. Localities like Talab Katta, Santosh Nagar tank, Kishan Bagh, Bahadurpura and many others face the problem of delay in the food supply at these canteens.

Secretary of Naqeeb-e-Millat Society from Kishan Bagh Syed Shafiullah Quadri said that poor people and labourers benefit from the Rs 5 a Meal canteens across the city, however, if the food was not supplied in time, its purpose will not be served.

He said that whatever the data has been shown by the GHMC was not completely correct and that there were some issues with the food supply. He said that many people were disappointed with the delayed supply in different areas.

As per data from GHMC about 150 canteens have been established across the Greater Hyderabad limits so far and are functional. In addition, officials inform that about 695 vessels of food supply almost 16,680kg of food every day across all the canteens. Each vessel can provide food to at least 300 persons at a time. The counters are beneficial to labourers, daily wagers, homeless people and others.