Samridhi@Kochi, the city’s budget eatery, is again the focus of a clash between the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF). The two fronts have exchanged accusations over unpaid subsidy dues, with each side blaming the other for financial mismanagement.
The LDF has accused the UDF council of undermining Samridhi by launching the Indira Canteen at Edappally in March 2026. The new canteen reportedly sources food, staff and other supplies from Samridhi, and the LDF claims that the corporation now owes more than ₹25 lakh to the budget eatery. V.A. Sreejith, LDF parliamentary party leader, said that subsidised food was served on the promise that the difference between revenue and expenditure would be reimbursed, but the corporation has failed to do so. He also highlighted that the corporation’s CSR funding for the Indira Canteen has dried up, and that Kudumbashree staff salaries are delayed beyond the 10th of each month.
Mayor V.K. Minimol countered that the LDF was “shedding crocodile tears” and that subsidy arrears exceeding ₹2 crore had accumulated when the UDF took office. She cited the LDF government’s 2023 discontinuation of subsidies for Janakeeya Hotels, the failure to secure promised ₹1 crore CSR funding for a second Samridhi unit launched before elections, and unpaid losses from operating the Samridhi canteen at Cochin Shipyard.
The mayor said the corporation has now mobilised ₹3 crore in CSR funding to cover the Indira Canteen’s subsidy dues and to establish a central kitchen. She also noted that all Samridhi employees’ salaries have been paid on time, that an Onam bonus was issued, and that the corporation’s own funds were used to clear about ₹25 lakh in water‑supply dues to avoid salary disruptions.
