Basera - the in-campus restaurant in IIT Madras: Why it needs to be renovated.

1. Kumar Neelotpal Shukla
I Year B. Tech., Civil Engineering Dept, IIT Madras
Nijansh Verma
I Year B. Tech., Civil Engineering Dept., IIT Madras

2. INTRODUCTION
In this presentation, we would like to take
you on a tour so that you can have a look at
Basera through the eyes of a student.

3. THE ENTRY…
Generally there are problems inside the
premises of many buildings, but with Basera,
they start at the entry itself.
 The two entrances are not guarded which leads
to dogs and deer entering the dining area which
cause a lot of nuisance.
 The path used by most of the students from the
Narmada hostel side for entry is not actually an
entrance. There is dirt and garbage on this path
and all of this enters the dining area along with
the visitors.


4. THE ENTRANCE PATH…
Mud and waste thrown on the
entry route used by students.
The pathway through which a
majority of students enter is not
actually an entrance.

5. PLACING THE ORDER…
Once one has entered, the second step is to
place an order but there are problems with this
step as well.
 There is only one ordering counter catering to
the students and at peak hours this leads to
formation of a long waiting queue under the
portico. This makes the area crowded and also
causes trouble for the people taking the orders.
 There is only one menu board and that too
provides no information about the availability of
the listed food items.


6. THE ORDERING AREA…
Only one
ordering
counter.
Incapable
of
efficiently
catering at
peak
hours.
Place too
small to
accommod
ate the
people
placing
orders and
receiving
food
simultaneo
usly.

7. THE CHAAT COUNTER…
1. Encroaching into the dining area.
2. Completely open, frequently attacked by monkeys.
3. Person ordering has to stand in the open (problem during rains).

8. NO PLACE TO SIT…



The dining space at Basera currently can accommodate
160 persons. But the number of people visiting Basera
during peak hours is much more than 160 which forces
many people to stand while waiting for their orders and
they might not even find space after receiving their
orders.
The roofing has been done by polystyrene sheets which
have come off at various places which leads to dripping
water during rains at various places.
Another problem is that the dining spaces are not
connected to each other through shaded pathways which
causes a lot of problem from moving from one place to
another during rains.

9. THE DINING SPACES…
The chipped off roof at
various places causing
dripping of water during
rainy seasons.

10. MEANWHILE IN THE PREPARATIONS AREA…
No shelves or other provision
for keeping cut vegetables

11. MEANWHILE IN THE PREPARATIONS AREA…
Damaged Ceiling
There is no proper provision for
storage of vegetables and other raw
material

12. IN THE STORAGE AREA…
The gas cylinders are kept one
over the other posing a threat to
safety
These boxes can
easily fall and
hurt anyone

13. LOOKING CLOSELY ON THE KITCHEN ROOF …
There is sufficient gap between the
roof and the grill to allow a monkey
kid to pass and enter the kitchen

14. IN THE KITCHEN ...
The kitchen area is completely
disorganized with just a few racks
kept arbitrarily for temporary
storage.
The construction there is very
poor with all the tiles chipping off.

15. IN THE KITCHEN ...
The cooks have to prepare food with large
utensils in a small, congested and ill-ventilated
room without any exhaust fans.
It can be easily observed from the picture that
the arrangement for LPG supply is also NOT
up-to-the-mark.

16. THE WASHING AREA …
The water supply for washing area is
not properly designed leading to
inadequate water pressure.
They have to keep the utensils on
the floor and wash them and there
is no immediate provision to keep
the utensils after washing.

17. HOW WILL A NEW BASERA HELP …




IIT Madras, being a highly reputed institute, needs to
have a high-class restaurant catering to students and
visitors.
The disorganization and poor hygiene can affect the
health of students and other people who eat there.
If this standard of Basera continues, students will
resort to going restaurants out of IIT (like Ascendas
Food Court) for their eating needs.
This will lead to greater loss of their time and money
and gradually in their studies will get affected.
Thus, IIT Madras definitely needs to reconstruct a new
Basera.