Adimali: The much-publicised free-food cooler set up at the Adimali Taluk Hospital by the local panchayat has turned into a symbol of neglect, lying empty just three months after its inauguration.

The initiative, launched as part of the 2024–25 annual projects of the panchayat, envisioned the cooler as a space for kind-hearted individuals to place food items in the cooler to support patients and their families visiting the hospital. But the enthusiasm appears to have faded even before the project could take off.

Since its installation, not a single food donation has been made. Worse still, the very authorities who launched the initiative have shown no interest in maintaining or promoting it further. As a result, the cooler has remained unused for days on end.

At the time of the launch, the panchayat had promised to stock the cooler with essentials like drinking water, bread and biscuits. However, no concrete steps were taken to ensure a steady supply of even these basic items. Now, patients visiting the hospital are demanding that, even if food is not available, the authorities should at least ensure the provision of drinking water.