Chapatti getting cooked in the gas-powered conveyor belt system at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi. Special Arrangement Making flatbreads in large numbers is set to become an easier task in the kitchen of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) in Tiruchi thanks to the three semi-automatic chapatti making machines that are debuting here this week.
Each of the units can produce 1,000 chapattis in an hour. Dough being kneaded mechanically by the chapatti making unit of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi.
Special Arrangement “The machines allow us to prepare and serve chapattis to patients and staff in a clean and hygienic manner with less manual labour. We wanted to add some variety to the meals, and give a homely touch to the food we serve to the public,” dean S.
Kumaravel told The Hindu on Tuesday.The stainless steel machines, powered by gas and electricity, had been manufactured by Durai Engineering Products, Coimbatore, under the ‘Duro’ brand, and consist of three components: a kneader, dough cutter and chapatti cooking station. Each unit has an estimated cost of ₹8.5 lakh.
Chapatti dough sliced into equal portions at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi. Special Arrangement During a demonstration of the units with dough on Tuesday, MGMGH kitchen staff fed large rolls into the slicing machine to get smaller pedas (balls) of equal size and weight.
The balls were dredged in dry wheat flour and arranged on a platter to keep them from sticking to one another. Chapattis ready for serving at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi.
Special Arrangement The chapatti cooking station was heated until the optimum temperature was reached. A cook carefully placed individual dough balls into the top slot.
Two coating plates automatically spread the balls into raw chapattis that slid down a conveyor belt through the hot stove plates to emerge fully cooked at the other end.Hospital sources said that chapattis would be served twice a week for dinner initially with vegetarian curries. Published - November 03, 2026 06:39 pm IST