Delhi: Long queues at Atal Canteen as urban poor get meals for Rs 5

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) Long queues, clattering plates and easy chatter about the day were the scenes at the newly opened Atal Canteen in south Delhi's Nehru Nagar, on Friday as daily wage labourers and rickshaw pullers gathered for lunch.

The makeshift subsidised canteen is lined with photographs of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi Urban Development minister Ashish Sood.

Staff from a non-governmental organisation were seen serving meals to the visitors.

Khattar and Gupta inaugurated the canteen, which is among the 45 opened on Thursday on the 101st birth anniversary of Vajpayee.

More than a hundred people, mostly rickshaw pullers, daily-wage migrant labourers and children from the neighbourhood, queued up outside the eatery to buy coupons for meals. Residents from nearby slum clusters said the canteen is affordable, with meals priced at five rupees each.

Rajender Kumar, a vegetable vendor in Nehru Nagar, said the food is hot and hygienic. "There is ample space to sit and eat. It takes some time to get a coupon because the queue is long, but we do not mind waiting for quality food," he said.

Bhim, a daily wage labourer, said meals in the vicinity earlier cost between Rs 30 and Rs 40, forcing him to skip meals occasionally. "Five rupees is affordable. This will save at least 1,000 rupees a month," he added.

Rahul Kumar, a vendor at the canteen, told PTI Friday menu included dal, rice, mixed vegetables, chapati and pickle.

“The response on the first day was very positive. We almost ran out of food," he said, adding the process involves collecting five rupees and taking a picture of the beneficiary before issuing a food coupon.

The lunch is served from 11.30 am to 2 pm, while dinner is available from 6.30 am to 9 pm. The vendor said 300 people were fed within 90 minutes of the afternoon session.

The canteen has the capacity to serve up to 1,000 meals daily, split equally between lunch and dinner.

"Our main concern is managing the quantity. We provide one meal per coupon to ensure that everyone in the queue is served. We do not want anyone to go away hungry," he said.

The Atal Canteen scheme is aimed at workers, the urban poor and other economically vulnerable groups, offering access to affordable and hygienic food.

The chief minister had said 100 Atal Canteens are planned across Delhi. Of these, 45 were inaugurated on Thursday, and the remaining 55 are expected to open in the next 15 to 20 days. PTI VBH SLB AKY AKY