• Amount allocated for the task to be given to ISKCON
• Jail kitchen to continue to prepare tea, coffee and snacks

BANGALORE: Within the next few days, the massive kitchen at the Central Jail in Parappana Agrahara will cease to cook meals for nearly 5,000 inmates, as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) will take over the responsibility of preparing meals for them.

A pilot project by ISKCON, "Savi Oota", to supply meals to the prisoners was launched last week.

The meals were prepared at the exclusive kitchen set up by ISKCON at Kanakapura Road and transported in two trucks to the prison.

Success

With the pilot project being deemed a success, the decks have been cleared for the complete takeover of prison meals by the society, which is likely to begin supplying meals to the prisoners within the next few days.

Additional Director-General of Police (Prisons) S.T. Ramesh told The Hindu on Friday that while the society would supply meals to the prisoners, the jail kitchen would continue to prepare tea, coffee and snacks for them.

Tender

He said the society had been awarded the tender to provide meals to the inmates, and the amount usually set aside for the task would now be given to the society. On its part, ISKCON would incur additional expenditure, which it would have to meet on its own, he said.

Mr. Ramesh said that the prison manual contained details on the quantity of food to be served to the prisoners, and this would still be followed.

The prisoners could choose to have "rice with sambar, rice with chappatis, or rice with ragi mudde".

He estimated that the jail kitchen incurred an expenditure of Rs. 3 crore a year, and said a major part of this was for procurement of foodgrains.

Complaints

He said there had been complaints that the food served at the jail was of poor quality. Also, allegations of adulteration of foodgrains had been made.

He hoped that with ISKCON taking over the responsibility, these complaints would cease, as the society was known to supply clean and wholesome food. A majority of the prisoners had approved the food cooked by the society and supplied to them on a trial basis.

Mr. Ramesh said that as of now there was no question either of extending "Savi Oota" to other prisoners or providing them with food not mentioned in the manual.