The Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare department has floated tenders for the preparation of food for the students in 22 hostels run by it in Chennai for an initial period of two years.
The food preparation is now handled by the cooks appointed by the department in these hostels. Once outsourced, the food preparation will be done in two centralised kitchens located in two hostels in the city and distributed to the remaining 20 hostels. Nearly 3,000 students are staying in these 22 hostels, officials said.
According to officials, the move followed the announcement made in the Assembly regarding the same during the discussion on budgetary demand for the department by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Minister N. Kayalvizhi Selvaraj.
The two centralised kitchens will function in the M.C. Rajah College Boys Hostel in Saidapet and the Government Adi Dravidar Welfare College Girls Hostel in Vepery. According to the tender documents, the interested bidders are expected to own the equipment required for the preparation of food and trucks for its distribution to other hostels. The detailed menu given by the department, included eggs on five days a week and chicken or mutton on one day a week. The tender value is mentioned as ₹7 crore.
