Chennai, May 28 (IANS): DMK leaders, Food and Civil Supplies Minister R Sakkarapani and Minister for Forest K Ramachandran in a statement here said that the party would bear the expenses of the free food being provided by fifteen Amma canteens from Friday in Coimbatore and surrounding areas.

The Amma canteens serve Idli and Sambar in the morning and Curd Rice and Sambar rice in the afternoon. An Amma canteen has an average daily footfall of 500 people and fifteen canteens would serve 7500 to 10,000 people a day.

The statement said that the cost would work out to around Rs 52.5 lakh per month which the DMK party has decided to bear.

The free food will be offered in 12 Amma canteens functioning in five zones in Coimbatore city and three in municipalities. Other than the 12 Amma canteens in the city, three are in Pollachi, Mettupalayam and Valparai.

It may be recalled that immediately after the DMK led front assumed office there were widespread attacks by the DMK workers on the Amma canteens in Chennai and other parts of the state. This was due to the fact that the Amma canteens were formed during the time of AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister to provide food to the poor at reasonable rates across Tamil Nadu.

Chief Minister MK Stalin had to take preventive measures against the attacks on Amma canteens and had ordered the arrest of those involved in the vandalism. Stalin had openly condemned the attacks on the canteens.