LDF sees Indira Canteen proposal as bid to undermine Samridhi@Kochi

The proposal to launch Indira Canteen as part of the 50-day action plan of the United Democratic Front (UDF)-led Kochi Corporation has triggered a political row, with the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) dubbing it a conspiracy to undermine Samridhi@Kochi, a budget eatery jointly run by the Corporation and Kudumbashree as part of a hunger-free initiative.

Mayor V.K. Minimol said the project aims to ensure that anyone visiting Kochi can have three meals a day for just ₹50, with breakfast and dinner priced at ₹10 each. She pointed out that Samridhi@Kochi currently offers only subsidised lunch. Initially, the proposed canteen will be opened alongside Samridhi@Kochi outlets at Paramara Road in Ernakulam North and Fort Kochi before expanding to more centres.

When asked whether Indira Canteen would have separate infrastructure from Samridhi@Kochi, Ms. Minimol was evasive, saying only that a counter of the canteen would be set up alongside the Samridhi outlet. Instead, she emphasised the need to make Samridhi@Kochi more transparent and subject to audit. She further remarked that Samridhi had become a premium brand, and that it was not appropriate to continue associating it with budget meals.

Currently, Janakeeya hotels charge ₹30 for lunch, while Samridhi@Kochi charges only ₹20. LDF parliamentary party leader V.A. Sreejith said the Mayor’s evasiveness betrayed a conspiracy to gradually replace the Samridhi brand with Indira Canteen. “Their intention seems to be to put up an Indira Canteen board on the Samridhi premises. It was the previous council that gave the beautiful name Samridhi, without naming it after LDF leaders. While we wholeheartedly welcome the proposal to offer breakfast and dinner for ₹10, the move to gradually do away with the name Samridhi is objectionable. They could have done it under Samridhi itself. The UDF had objected when we named a cultural centre after T.K. Ramakrishnan, but now they have no qualms in naming the proposed canteen Indira,” he said.

Mr. Sreejith further alleged that the UDF had opposed using the Corporation funds for Samridhi@Kochi and had consistently stayed away from its anniversaries and other related events.

Samridhi@Kochi, which celebrated its fourth anniversary last year, has grown significantly since its inception. Its staff strength has risen from just 14 to 206. Selected by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to serve food on four trains, Samridhi has also been integrated into the IRCTC portal, enabling passengers to place online orders for delivery at the Ernakulam Town railway station. In addition, it operates two canteens—one at Cochin Shipyard and another at the Greater Cochin Development Authority.