Amma canteens can be tracked online
City corporation signs deal with Google Earth for citizens to track Amma canteen.
By : c. s. kotteswaran
Update: 2013-12-05 13:31 GMT
Chennai: Citizens can now ‘Google’ their nearby Amma canteen that serves tiffin and meals at subsidised rates. The city corporation has tied up with Google Earth and all 200 canteens in every ward can now be tracked using the online application.
Preliminary works have already begun. Photographs and basic information about each canteen will be uploaded to the Google Earth application, explained a senior corporation official.
The project will have all the Amma unavagams photographed with their interiors, providing a three dimensional view. Photographs taken in 360 degrees of kitchen area, dining area and counters will be added to the server. Many restaurants and eat-outs in Chennai are popularising their joints through Google Earth and the corporation will also now brand the canteens, which has been an instant hit among the people ever since it was launched by the chief minister, the official said.
Enthralled by the success of Amma unavagam, a few techies too have uploaded photos and brief information about the canteens. “We have been doing it for some companies, but for the Amma canteens a few updates have been done freely,” said web developer V. Ramaswamy of Vital Designs.
“The idea is to popularise the Amma canteens. Youngsters and students who throng the Amma unavagam for tiffin can now easily track them through their mobiles. Even the distance between their place and the nearby canteen will be available,” said Chennai mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy.
The same process can be used for online web casting though it is too early to pursue the idea. The Google application will also mention the timings of Amma canteens and the menu served, another corporation official said.