Students: Why serve bugs, give us poison

Belagavi: Students of Ambedakar Vasati Nilaya, the hostel for post-matric students at Sangmeshwar Nagar, staged a protest on Wednesday as they were upset over the substandard food, which they said had bugs and cockroaches.
The insects found in idli-sambar were served for breakfast and angered the inmates of the SC/ST hostel.
After quarrelling with the cooks, they checked the foodgrains stocked up there, only get shocked by the sight of insects and bugs there too.
MLA Anil Benake and DC Nitesh Patil rushed to hostel and took the hostel staff to task.
The protesting students asked the MLA to give them poison, instead of insect-infested food.
The DC asked the staff as to why they had stocked up foodgrains that could last six months.
DC Patil also warned them of action if such incidents recur.
Later, the DC and the MLA had lunch along with students to send a message that food was not that bad.
When they both enquired with students what their other grouse were, they demanded better amenities at the hostel and also sought to change the warden.
Vikram, one of the students, told TOI: “Sub-standard food was being served for a year now. We get an earful whenever we ask the warden about it. So we narrated our ordeal to the DC and the MLA. We also asked for a digital library at the hostel, to which the deputy commissioner has agreed.”
Patil told TOI that they have instructed the hostel staff to serve good food while maintaining hygiene.
“Fresh foodgrains have been allotted. We have suspended the hostel warden for dereliction of duty,” DC Patil added.