The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : It messes with mess bills

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Sunday, Jul 06, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

It messes with mess bills

— PHOTO: R.M. RAJARATHINAM

Daily concern: Youngsters living away from their homes dining at Cauvery Chettinad Mess, Ponnagar in Tiruchi.

Youths, staying away from their family in the City to earn their bread, seem to be one of the worst affected segments owing to the price rise. They find it difficult to make both ends meet, as they have to maintain themselves and take care of their dependents.

Their monthly bills, right from rent, fuel expenses, mess bill, telephone expenses and entertainment, have all gone up. The spurt in the prices of petrol has a serious impact on their budget. Their uppermost apprehension is a further hike in the cost of living, owing to inflation or online trading. “We doubt whether the existing situation is being exploited,” says L. Ramesh, a private company employee.

Equally concerned is a share broker of Karumandapam V. P. Annadurai. Two-wheeler is an indispensable mode of transport for him to suit his business. He fears that he would be unable to afford to meet the fuel expenditure in case of any hike in future. He depends on a local mess for food and fears that the quality of the stuff may come down due to rising costs. Employed in private companies, some youths stay in groups in houses taken on rent. They fear that rentals would also go up in course of time.

P. Kondusamy, a private concern employee, says that he has given up his plan to purchase a two-wheeler which he now views as a luxury. He spares no pains to manage his budget to suit his monthly income which is around Rs.5,000. For S. Ahmed Mustafa, a native of Tirunelveli district and a final year BE student of a city college, he has to shell out additional Rs.600 every month for the mess and fuel expenses.

The messes in several parts of the city are the sole asylum for these youngsters catering to their food needs. The proprietors of these messes too are not happy either, being fully aware of the difficult financial crisis these youths undergo.

The proprietor of Cauvery Chettinad Mess in Ponnagar, A. Mahadevan who has been in the business for more than a decade says never before he had witnessed such an ordeal. He attributes the crisis to the impact of the online trade. His usual practice of making bulk annual purchase of dhania, green gram, black gram and chillies was totally impossible this season, mainly due to the non-availability of the commodity thanks to online trading.

A slight increase in the meals from Rs.20 to Rs.22 has not over-burdened his customers so far. But he is not certain how long he would be able to hold the rates, with the prices of the commodities, particularly LPG cylinders, registering a rise.

For S. Shabbir Ahamed running a medium non-vegetarian mess in Subramaniapuram, the time and again increase in the LPG cylinder is testing him too much.

The price of rice has also increased steeply. A 25 kg rice bag now costs Rs.585, registering an increase of Rs.100 in the last one week. “We don’t serve mutton dishes due to fluctuating price and serve only chicken,” he says.

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