Lack of funds makes Sasti Rasoi insipid

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 22

The Bathinda district administration had started the Sasti Rasoi with much zeal but it is suffering from lack of funds, as compared to other districts which have started the scheme lavishly and on bigger scale.

Other districts have included lavish food items in the menu—in Jalandhar the administration serves poori, chane and halwa on Sunday. In Bathinda, the Sasti Rasoi is closed on Sunday.

The other districts have spent lavishly on renovating the room used for the scheme and have brought new furniture, while the Bathinda administration is using old furniture, which was lying dumped in a room, as a table and there are no chairs available for the people, who have to eat food while standing.

Other districts have bought new utensils to serve food but the city administration is using disposable plates for the same. Even Fazilka and Muktsar administrations have purchased automatic food machines for the scheme, whereas no such initiative has been taken here so far.

Red Cross is paying Rs 14.50 to the contractor for each thali, while it is serving the same to the people at a cost of Rs 10 and is putting Rs 5 from its own kitty.

It is learnt that the district administration is facing problems in managing funds for the scheme. It has also written to the state government seeking approval to charge Rs 15 per thali from the people.

More than 15 days have been passed since Sasti Rasoi was inaugurated in the Red Cross building but so far, the Health Department has not taken any sample of the food being served even once.

DC Diprava Lakra, during the inauguration, had claimed that the Health Department would collect sample every three days.

Gurmeet Singh, a city resident, said it was very shameful that the politicians and the district administration had been making a mockery of the people. When politicians can get five-star foods at very cheap prices, then why can the administration not serve the same food at low prices, he asked.

Another resident, Robin Jindal, said it was really sad that just to fulfill its manifesto promise hurriedly to provide food at Rs 5, the state government had directed the districts to start the Sanjhi Rasoi scheme but had not given any funds or money for the same. This clearly showed the government’s intentions.

A senior district administration official said “If we ask for any funds or favours from industrialists or other topshots of the city for running the scheme, we will not be able to take action against these people when they default on any issue. They will surely seek returns from us at that time”.

Red Cross secretary Retd Col Varinder Kumar said no Health Department official had taken a sample till date but he was inspecting the food quality daily and it was going good.