Be the first to taste 'government Shawarma' in city

Soon, chicken buffs in the capital city can queue up for the first-ever ‘government shawarma.’

 Thrilled by soaring meat sales, state government-undertaking Meat Products of India (MPI) is planning to open its first stall dishing out the meat-and-vegetable Arab delicacy at Sasthamangalam.

 ‘’We are planning to open an outlet directly run by MPI at Sasthamangalam. (The present one is run through a franchisee). It will be the second directly-operated unit and it will have the first chicken shawarma stall,’’ MPI managing director Ani S Das said.

 Why shawarma? The answer is simple. It’s hugely popular with the young crowd and wrapped in the traditional Arab ‘kuboos’ bread, is a ‘stand-and-eat’ dish, meaning the MPI will not require elaborate arrangements  for serving it.

 While vegetables are costing the common man dear, meat sales, especially that of chicken, are shooting up, according to the MPI.

 On Thursday, the new mobile outlet of the MPI at Connemara Market, Palayam, sold a stunning 500 kg of chicken between 5 pm and 8 pm. Recently, MPI had reduced the price of cleaned chicken from ` 170 to ` 135.

 At present, MPI has 180 outlets across the State, of which only one - at Jagathy - is run directly. The rest are operated through franchisees. In May, it posted a turnover of ` 75 lakh, a record for the government undertaking. Planning to open ten more outlets in the busier areas of the capital city, MPI has invited expressions of interest for opening commissioned-based units.