Lack of funds affect quality of food at govt hostels in Sangareddy

SANGAREDDY: The lack of funds and the apathy of officials have turned government hostels in the district into ‘literal hell’, students allege.The quality of food in these hostels is always in the news for the wrong reasons, with many criticising the authorities for failing to provide nutritious food to students, who have left their families behind for education. When the news of students falling sick appears on the news, the officials rush to the students and assure them that the situation would change, but it gets back to its usual after the issue dies down.

Though officials have been appointed to monitor the hostels, they are remaining confined to their respective offices, leaving the wardens with power. However, wardens said it wasn’t possible to provide good-quality food to the students with the money the government gives them.

Contractors can escape the price rise as they buy in bulk, but in the other hostels, where the mess is under the warden’s control, the price of eggs, milk, fish and meat is too much for them to afford, they added. The government allocates `950 per month for a student from Class 3 to Class 7, `1,100 for students from Class 8 to Class 10, and `1,500 for students in junior and degree colleges. With this money, it’s difficult to provide eggs, milk and chicken, apart from other meals, twice a week to every child, wardens said. The pending bills at the end of every month also add to the financial problems, they added.

Since the government doesn’t pay the bills at the end of every month, some of the wardens have to resort to borrowing or even take loans, which they have to pay back with additional interest. A warden, who requested anonymity, said that despite the release of the State Budget in March, the bills haven’t been cleared since February. Recently, when district Collector Dr A Sharath inspected the Girmapur hostel in Sangareddy district, he found that the food was not of good quality and that the vegetables were inferior.

UNPAID BILLS
The pending bills not cleared by the government at the end of every month add to the financial problems of hostels, wardens said, adding that they have to resort to borrowing or even take loans, which they have to pay back with additional interest. Some claim that the bills have been unpaid since February