BMC Patients see red over missing greens

For over a week now, patients at the 19 BMC hospitals in the city have been deprived of vital nutrition in their diet, thanks to the total absence of vegetables in their meals. According to the information provided by the diet department, an argument with the food contractors has led to the hospitals not providing any of the 32 vegetables which is usually a part of the patients’ diet. The impasse arose when the contractors cited inflation to hike their rates and the BMC refusing to oblige. The BMC purchases 32 vegetables, wheat flour and rice from a vendor named Tej Sons, and sugar from AAA Cheruvattam. Both these parties are now demanding double the price to renew their contract as compared to last year’s. The BMC administration has reportedly been trying to negotiate with the contractors, but in vain. As a result, patients have been restricted to a diet of pulses and the occasional tea with a spot of milk and hardly any sugar.