Sri Vijaya Puram, July 8: The President of the Andaman & Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC), Shri Rangalal Halder, has urged the Secretary, Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council (SVPMC), A&N Administration, to immediately issue the tender and make operational the canteen established at the Municipal Council Dharamshala near Marina Park, Sri Vijaya Puram.
In his representation, Shri Halder stated that the canteen infrastructure at the Dharamshala was completed nearly six months ago. However, despite the facility being fully ready for operation, it has remained closed as the tender for its operation has not yet been issued. The prolonged delay has deprived the public of an essential service and defeated the very purpose for which the canteen was established.
Shri Halder pointed out that the Dharamshala serves as an important shelter for economically weaker patients and their attendants who travel from various islands and remote parts of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Sri Vijaya Puram for medical treatment. While the Dharamshala provides affordable accommodation, the absence of a functioning canteen has caused considerable hardship to the inmates. Patients, senior citizens, attendants, and family members are compelled to travel outside the premises several times a day in search of food, resulting in unnecessary inconvenience, physical strain, and additional financial burden.
He further emphasized that many of the beneficiaries of the Dharamshala belong to financially weaker sections of society and often struggle to meet the high cost of food available outside. A properly functioning canteen within the premises would provide hygienic, affordable, and easily accessible meals, thereby offering significant relief to patients, attendants, and other visitors staying at the facility.
The ANTCC President has therefore requested the Secretary, SVPMC, to expedite the tender process without any further delay and ensure that the canteen is made operational at the earliest in the larger public interest.