Students irked as general store at UoH campus still shut

HYDERABAD: Months after four general stores were sealed on the University of Hyderabad campus after expired and sub-standard food were found being sold, the general store on the South campus is still shut down. Students either have to visit the North campus stores which is three kilometres away or the local market outside,  both of which are not very viable options for students and those without vehicles.

In June, the then Students Union and the university administration had conducted a surprise inspection and sealed the shops including the three general stores on the campus after they were found flouting the quality norms. While in the past couple of months, the north ShopCom and Gops food courts have opened after fresh tenders were floated, for the students of the south campus, the wait has not ended even after six months and is likely to take another month before they get some respite. The delay, students union says, is on account of a failed tender process.

“We have already submitted a representation to the administration and the Estate department has assured that the file for tender process is being worked upon. The previous tender process could not fetch any positive result as tenders did not fulfil the requirements,” said Arif Ahmmed, general secretary, students union.Students who don’t have vehicles are mostly dependent on these stores and food joints. With the varsity administration banning vendors and food delivery aggregators like Swiggy and Foodpanda on campus, the dependence on the stores on the campus has only increased.

However, for most students in the south campus, getting the daily food supply from the nearby Gopanpally market is easier than walking to the North campus for a cup of tea. “These ShopComs also served as a meeting place for us to catch up with our friends over a cup of chai and biscuit. Now we have to walk out of the campus even if we have to buy a pack of milk or even a cake of soap,” said B Ramesh, another student.

Though the procedure of floating new tenders, selecting right candidate and then setting up of shop is expected to take a month, Arif said that being aware of the inconvenience students are being put through, the union is pressuring the administration to resolve the issue by mid-January.