Date:12/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/12/stories/2006051213580400.htm

New Delhi

GMR group woos AAI staff through their stomachs

Mandira Nayar

A swanky new canteen at subsidised rates to generate goodwill for the new team

CHANGE IN THE OFFING: The present state of affairs at Airport Authority of India's staff canteen at the Delhi airport. Photo: V.V. Krishnan

NEW DELHI: Having faced resistance from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees of Delhi airport to their takeover plans, the GMR Fraport consortium is all out to woo them through their stomach now. Bringing on board a nutritionist to ensure healthier food for the employees' canteen, the joint venture company is hoping to give them more than just "green" to want to make the public to private switch.

Apart from hiring experts to improve the quality of the menu for the staff, like the rest of the airport the old canteen is also all set to be replaced by a swanky new one. Pulling down the old canteen near the arrival lounge to give it a complete makeover, the newly built canteen is expected to be ready within the next three months.

Dingy and far from being clean, the current canteen might suit the pocket of the staff, but it does not seem to help keep them fit. While there is the usual "desi" fast food available, the canteen desperately needed to be overhauled. With only a few tables and chairs scattered around the dark two-rooms, this old canteen will soon be a relic of the past.

"The company has invested about Rs. 16 lakhs to buy equipment for the new canteen. All the latest gadgets will be fitted here from microwaves to refrigerators. It will be much cleaner and very hygienic. The GMR-Fraport group has also promised that they will keep the rates for the employee subsidised. A cup of tea costs Rs.1.50 and they promise that they will not raise the rates. They are also planning to introduce tea and coffee machines at the canteen," said an official at the airport.

The big fast-food chains might not be on the list of caters, but there will certainly be better service. There will also be new inclusions on the menu. Offering employees a choice from the regular "idli-dosa" fare, continental food is going to make an appearance on the menu-card.

The canteen will also have a separate enclosure for men and women so that employees get a chance to bond and give each other some space. Spread over two floors, this new canteen will also be open to visitors to the airport.

"The first floor will be a common area for visitors as well as passengers who want to eat. There will be different rates for them of course," said an airport official.

Having officially been handed over the Delhi airport earlier this month, the GMR-Fraport consortium is on a strict schedule to make changes on the ground soon. The staff canteen is just one of its measures to win over the employees and generate goodwill for the new team.