Ice-cream in coffee homes?

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Tourism’s move to open air-conditioned ice-cream parlours of a fast food chain at coffee homes has come under a cloud following allegations of irregularities in the contract process.
Officials claimed the experiment, being tried out at RK Puram, Laxmi Nagar and Connaught Place outlets, is likely to help pull the loss-making coffee homes out of the red.
But Delhi Tourism’s bid to ride piggyback on the success of private ice-cream parlours has raised criticism on the grounds of special treatment to the fast food company which has been awarded the contract.
The low rate (5 per cent) of income sharing in the pact with the private operator and concessions on operation timings and installation of signboards have also drawn flak. Before the new contract was awarded, the tourism department had allowed some ice-cream companies to place their deep-freezers in coffee homes against a monthly rent.
‘‘The new company has been allowed to set up a special air-conditioned enclosure spread over a bigger space compared to earlier vendors,’’ said a tourism department functionary.
A Delhi Tourism official said the move was an attempt to promote private party participation to improve their own income.
‘‘The coffee homes with parlours will remain open till 11 pm, while the others close by 8 pm,’’ said Delhi Tourism’s managing director Rajiv Talwar.