Anna Canteen near morgue

Visakhapatnam: Good ambience, tasty and delicious food for breakfast, lunch and dinner at a cheaper price. But majority of the people, who are having food at Anna Canteen in Anakapalle, are leaving the place without completing lunch and dinner. Somehow, who are hungry are also expressing their displeasure and pointing out at the MLA and officials for selecting the place, which is adjacent to the mortuary of NTR Government Hospital.

Over 100 bodies are being brought to the mortuary per month for post-mortem and majority of the bodies are in the decomposed state. Unidentified and decomposed bodies from 10 mandals are being shifted to the mortuary of the hospital. However, there are only two freezers to keep the bodies for 72-hours. The doctors of the hospital are conducting post-mortem on three to four bodies per day.

However, not considering the facts of the area, MLA of Anakapalle and other officials selected the vacant site and established the Anna Canteen. The locals and others appealed the MLA and other officials to change the location as they cannot bear the stench emanating from the mortuary while eating the food.

“Everyone is aware of lack of freezers at the mortuary. Even the locals opposed but in vain. How can we eat while looking at the bodies,” Ramalakshmi, a local flower vendor, lamented.

“Anna Canteen was set up to serve lunch and dinner to 500 persons. In fact, the entire land, including hospital, also belongs to the municipality. Showing the vacant land, the officials selected the location and the people are coming to the canteen covering their noses”, Nelam Venkanna pointed out.

“Yes. The issue has come to our notice, people are complaining about the foul smell from the mortuary. The unidentified and decomposed bodies are being brought here for post-mortem. What can we do? Meanwhile, we have only two freezers only.

In fact, the decomposed bodies cannot put in freezer. We are asking the government to construct a room for conducting post-mortem at the grave yard on the decomposed bodies and our doctors would move there to do autopsy”, Superintendent of NTR Hospital Dr M Jaganmohan told The Hans India.