Vijayawada: The snacks and lunch section in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has been closed, a fortnight ago, due to which the employees and security personnel are struggling a lot, as they will not be allowed to have their lunch outside, said an employee. A few employees have even developed health problems, he added. Even bureaucrats and staff in the CMO are facing trouble due to the decision.
Following a hike in the expenses for snacks and lunch at CMO, the contractor was asked to stop supply of food, said an officer in the CMO. However, the administrative staff and security personnel are suffering a lot due to this decision, as they have to stay for longer hours in the CMO. “We can neither go out for our snacks or lunch, nor have the food here due to the latest decision,” said a sub-staff member, adding that he could not arrange the snacks and fruits, when a Secretary-level officer asked him to provide.
The staff working in CMO faced problems in the post-lunch session in the first week of April, due to unhygienic food they were served. Same is the case with the visitors and staff, who were having their food at the Canteen, on the premises of Secretariat, Velagapudi, in two weeks of April. A few staff members of CMO and Secretariat had even visited doctors and were told to administer glucose.
Generally, a few employees working in the CMO, Velagapudi, will be supplied food from outside contractor, but the CMO has stopped that system, following a rise in expenses. Apart from this, a few employees started complaining about gastric problems after consuming food in the Secretariat canteen, Section superintendent-level employees told this correspondent, on condition of anonymity.
As the Chief Minister is very particular about intake of hygienic food, the employees want the intervention of the CMO directly, to address the issue. The CMO staff and a few security personnel are urging the government to restore the snacks and lunch section on the premises of the Chief Minister’s office.
