Indira Canteen coming up in park, claim residents

BENGALURU: An Indira Canteen seems to be coming up in another public space, this time in BTM Layout II Stage. “On Wednesday, a few workers chopped down a tree in our park; they claimed it had gone dry . But we know that is not the case," said Divya Rao, a resident.
The park is located at SFHS Layout, Bannerghatta Road, opposite Gopalan Mall.

“Construction has begun; it is clear the tree has been felled to make way for the canteen. Since it's a small park, even if they build the canteen in a corner, half of the open space will be lost,“ she said. Residents said they visited the local

BBMP

office but the officer there refused to register their complaint.

“On Thursday evening, we were told the structure would be installed soon. There is another tree in the park, which could be chopped as well.BBMP officials say this area has been demarcated for a shop. But according to the original master plan, of which we have a copy , the area is supposed to be a park and has been so for over 30 years,“ added Divya.

But BBMP chief engineer (south zone) Prabhakar said: “We are not building canteens in parks or playgrounds. This canteen is coming up on BBMP property . No trees are being chopped; they are only being pruned.“ Racing against deadline, the Pal ike has been building many canteens on temple premises, in parks and playgrounds. On August 16, 101 of the 198 canteens were opened; the rest are likely to be commissioned soon.

Canteens may cater to more customers

In good news for those not getting food at Indira Canteens owing to shortage of supply, food and public distribution minister U T Khader tweeted on Thursday that the canteens, catering to 900 customers every day (300 each for breakfast, lunch and dinner), would soon be serving food to 1,500 daily. “Since there has been an increasing demand for food at Indira Canteens for breakfast and meals, chief minister Siddaramaiah is thinking of extending its coverage to more customers,“ he tweeted.