Kurnool: Nandyal administration is gearing up to restart Anna canteens in the district at the points they had been running earlier. Further, they are planning to open these canteens in all municipal areas of the district, as per the new policy of the Telugu Desam-led NDA alliance government.
Nandyal district has six municipalities – Nandyal, Dhone, Allagadda, Nandikotkur, Bethamcherla and Atmakur. Earlier, there had been two Anna canteens in Nandyal Town, one located in RTC bus station and the other at government hospital.
The combined Kurnool district had 17 Anna canteens, eight in Kurnool city, three in Nandyal, three in Adoni, two in Yemmiganur, and one in Dhone town. However, the district got bifurcated in 2022.
Anna canteens had become quite popular among the poor due to breakfast, lunch or dinner costing only ₹5 per place. They had been located in prime locations.
However, after YSR Congress government came to power in 2019 polls, these canteens gradually closed between July 2019 and beginning of 2020. The canteen spaces turned into local Sachivalayam offices.
Now that the TD-led alliance has come back to power, it wants to reopen the Anna canteens. It has already directed officials to reopen them, shifting the existing offices in them to some other place.
Nandyal municipal commissioner P. Niranjan Reddy said Anna canteens started earlier had been located close to the RTC bus stand and government hospital. The canteens became very popular among bus passengers and patients, owing to their affordable cost.
“However, there is no clarity yet on the agencies that will prepare and serve the food. We will follow directions of the government in this regard during the coming days," Niranjan Reddy clarified.
District collector Dr. K. Srinivasulu said all municipal commissioners in the district have been asked to speed up the process of opening the Anna canteens.
