Plans on anvil to restore four Anna Canteens in Andhra Pradesh

ONGOLE: The municipal commissioners of Ongole, Kanigiri, and Markapur have received instructions from the State Municipal Administration Department to submit estimations for the reopening of Anna Canteens within their respective municipal limits for serving food to about 2,000 to 3,0000 poor people at a nominal price of Rs 5 per meal.

Accordingly, Ongole Municipal Commissioner M Jaswanth Rao has instructed the staff concerned to prepare the estimates. An expert committee has been formed for this purpose, consisting of officials from the OMC Engineering wing. They have been directed to submit their estimations by June 19 without fail. Consequently, the OMC Engineering wing is currently busy with this assignment.

Speaking with TNIE, OMC Commissioner M Jaswanth Rao said, “Recently, we received orders from higher officials regarding the reopening of food supplies to the poor. Now, we are preparing estimates for the renovation and repair works of each building and will submit them to the government by June 19. Initially, the canteens might be run by Mission For Elimination Of Poverty In Municipal Areas (MEPMA) and later handed over to service-oriented NGOs like Akshay Patra.”

There are a total of four Anna Canteens within the OMC limits: one situated on Kurnool Road near the Electricity Office, another near the Old Vegetable Market, a third at the Collectorate Center (Old RIMS), and the fourth at the Kothapatnam Bus Stand location near Raithu Bazar. Among these, two have been converted into Ward Secretariat offices, one allocated to the Ongole Press Club, and the last one used as the Municipal Workers’ Master Point. The OMC authorities are now taking possession of these four canteen buildings and preparing estimates for their renovation and repair to restart food supplies.

Furthermore, TDP leaders have taken the initiative and restarted free food distribution at these old Anna Canteens on Monday. Ongole MLA Damacharla Janardhan Rao’s wife, Damacharla Naga Satyalatha, inaugurated the Free-Food supply (Annadaanam) at all four Anna Canteens and personally served food to the people.

“Our engineering staff, including AEs and others, are preparing estimates. We expect that by next month, all these Anna Canteens will be ready to supply food,” Sri Hari, Office Manager of OMC, explained.