Keralam’s Samridhi@Kochi eatery row: LDF alleges ₹25-lakh dues; UDF counters with ₹2-crore liability

Samridhi@Kochi, the Kochi Corporation’s budget eatery, is once again at the centre of a tussle between the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), with both fronts trading charges over pending subsidy dues.

The LDF has consistently accused the ruling UDF council of undermining Samridhi by launching the Indira Canteen at Edappally in March 2026 at the former’s expense. Food, staff and other related facilities for the Indira Canteen are being sourced from Samridhi. More than six months after the launch of the Indira Canteen, the LDF now alleges that it has accumulated a liability of over ₹25 lakh to Samridhi.

“Subsidised food was served at the Indira Canteen on the assurance that the difference in expenditure would be reimbursed to Samridhi, which the Corporation has failed to do. On average, the Indira Canteen records a daily business of about ₹65,000 against an expenditure of around ₹1 lakh. The salaries of Kudumbashree staff working with Samridhi are getting delayed beyond the 10th of every month due to the financial crisis. Yet, the Corporation is planning a second unit of the Indira Canteen at the Vyttila Mobility Hub,” said V.A. Sreejith, LDF parliamentary party leader.

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding for the Indira Canteen has also dried up after the initial allocation provided for its launch. The Corporation cannot meet the dues from its own resources, while its plan fund has already been drastically curtailed. We will launch a mass protest to protect Samridhi and safeguard the livelihoods of the Kudumbashree women associated with it, Mr. Sreejith said.

Mayor’s charges

Mayor V.K. Minimol, however, accused the LDF of “shedding crocodile tears” over Samridhi, alleging that it had left behind subsidy arrears exceeding ₹2 crore when the UDF assumed office.

“When the then LDF government discontinued the subsidy for Janakeeya Hotels in 2023, adversely affecting Samridhi, the previous council did not even bother to write to the government seeking its restoration. The CSR funding of ₹1 crore promised for the second unit of Samridhi, which was launched in Fort Kochi in haste ahead of the elections, was never mobilised. The losses incurred from operating the Samridhi canteen at Cochin Shipyard Limited, which we eventually had to shut down, also remain unsettled,” she said.

Ms. Minimol said the Corporation had now mobilised CSR funding of ₹3 crore, which would cover the subsidy dues owed by the Indira Canteen to Samridhi while also facilitating the establishment of a central kitchen and its mechanisation. The Corporation is also soliciting donations from agencies and individuals for Samridhi, which was set up under the Hunger-Free Kochi project.

“The salaries of Samridhi employees have not been delayed even by a single day. In fact, we paid the Onam bonus and also cleared dues of around ₹25 lakh towards water supply to the Samridhi kitchen from the Corporation’s own fund to ensure that salary payments were not disrupted, the Mayor said.