BBMP to float tender for 50 new Indira canteens

Bengaluru: The BBMP has decided to issue tenders for the construction of 50 new Indira Canteens in the city after the state government rejected its request to directly assign the project to a private agency.

The government has approved covering 50% of the construction cost, amounting to Rs 20 crore, as well as half of the maintenance expenses.

Earlier this month, the Urban Development Department (UDD) issued orders based on decisions taken by the state cabinet.

In a recent communication, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath had requested funds for the construction of 50 canteens. The letter also proposed awarding the contract to Excel Precast Solution Pvt Ltd, which has experience building 185 similar canteens outside the BBMP limits across Karnataka.

However, the government instructed the BBMP to float tenders and select an agency through the official process.

The order said constructing each Indira Canteen, including a separate kitchen, costs Rs 87 lakh.

The government has also agreed to share 50% of the operational costs for 250 subsidised canteens and pay half of the Rs 220 crore the BBMP has spent on running these canteens since 2017.

The proposal to build 52 new canteens was first discussed in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in June last year, following the revision of the BBMP ward boundaries from 198 to 243, and later to 225. Of the 52 proposed canteens, two have already been constructed at the Kempegowda International Airport.

Currently, the BBMP operates 177 Indira Canteens and 23 mobile canteens.