Chennai Corporation staff want Amma canteens to be handed over to social welfare dept

Chennai: Tax collectors and revenue assessors attached to Chennai corporation want the civic body to hand over maintenance of Amma canteens to social welfare department.

"These canteens are white elephants draining the corporation exchequer and we are unable to focus on civic works," a corporation official said.

There is an unnecessary pressure on the revenue department staff insisting them to collect the property tax from defaulters. The corporation has diverted all its capital funds on Amma canteen and to buy provisions and this had been happening for the past two years.

"This financial burden is affecting the corporation workers and we are forced to meet at least two-dozen tax defaulters in a day," the source added. The corporation's annual budget is in a bad shape ever since the Amma canteen was launched. Every year the civic body is losing close to Rs 100 crore on canteens, noted a revenue department staff adding that other development works of the corporation is affected due to diversion of funds.

However, a senior corporation official when contacted had a different story to tell. Most of the corporation staff in revenue department do not go to the field to collect tax. When they are asked to give the daily and weekly report of their performance they come with unwanted stories like that of Amma canteen, the official quipped.