বাংলায় পড়ুন
A 320 litre transparent door refrigerator has suddenly become an object of great interest. It is creating news. This transparent refrigerator is topped with a placard which states, “ the amount of food India wastes annually is enough to feed entire Egypt for a year". Grabs the eyeballs, doesn't it!
The place is none other than Park circus. It is always in the limelight. If you are thinking of a crowd gone bonkers or the chaos at the crossing, think again. This time Park Circus has once again played a very positive and pivotal role. A Food ATM...! Yes, sounds amazing, right? Undoubtedly so. The poor and needy in Kolkata won’t go to sleep half hungry or on an empty stomach anymore.
Thanks to an initiative by a restaurateur here at park circus. The city has a heart of its own and it showe. The man behind this laudable initiative is none other than Asif Ahmed, the co-owner of Sanjha Chulha restaurant chain. Community fridge is fast growing in India. Indore has one such and many other places in the country witness such community service. However, Kolkata took the initiative this year. This should have started many years back, but better late then never. Ahmed started the food ATM with the support of 3 organisations mainly - Rotary, Round Table and JITO to curb wastage and feed the needy. The initial investment was around Rs 50,000/- including the cost of the refrigerator. No card is required to access the food from the refrigerator laden with fresh leftovers. “We are getting a good response from the locals”, said Ahmed. Ahmed wants to extend the service to his other 3 outlets as well. "A transparent door refrigerator is used to store food items. We are educating our customers to pack the leftover food and donate it. In addition to the leftovers from our outlet, people of the city are coming and donating food. Biryani and bread are some of the common items. They are putting in fresh food as well," said the proud owner Ahmed.
