After more than a decade of its opening, an Amma canteen near the old bus terminus in Arakkonam town in Ranipet got a fresh lease of life on Saturday as Minister for Co-operation V. Gandhiraj inaugurated the restored facility.

Civic officials said that former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa virtually inaugurated Amma Canteens in Ranipet, Arcot, Arakkonam and Walajah towns in the district in 2015, when the scheme was launched in the State.

Since then, renovation of the facility was not done. “The municipality has completed restoration work of the canteens for the first time with improved civic amenities for visitors,” G. Anandan, Commissioner, Arakkonam municipality, told .

Accompanied by Collector N. Priya Ravichandran, Mr. Gandhiraj inspected the renovated canteen, which was done at a cost of ₹11 lakh in the town.

The canteen in Walajah town that refurbished at a cost of ₹9 lakh will be opened to the public in the coming week.

 
The kitchen was refurbished with new water pipelines and utensils. Electrical lines were also checked thoroughly to prevent any power fluctuations and short circuit. An overhead tank with a storage capacity of 50,000 litres was cleaned.

 
Motor pump sets connected to borewells that supply water to the canteens were refurbished, to ensure uninterrupted water supply. A fresh coat of painting was also given to the facility.