College hostels in Chennai come under food safety scanner

CHENNAI: A special state food safety department team will soon conduct inspections in college and private hostels in the city following complaints about the sub-standard food served there. On October 22, Chennai Corporation officials had sealed a men's hostel on Langs Garden Road in Pudupet after seven people were hospitalised with diarrhoea.

District food safety officer S Lakshmi Narayan said severe action would be taken as "we have received several complaints about the poor quality of food served in these hostels."

Many working men and women and students from different parts of the state and from other states stay in hostels as they provide cheap accommodation, but most of them are not impressed by the quality of food.

"It's difficult to eat at my hostel, so I always eat outside," said a student of a city college. "The warden hasn't taken any action against the mess manager for the poor quality food despite repeated complaints," he said.

Officials said all private and college hostels and canteens should mandatorily register themselves under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006. There are also complaints about these hostels charging high fees despite providing poor quality food.

Sources said private contractors run canteens and mess in most colleges. Some private hostels have been getting food from outside, they said.

"Many private contractors buy low quality food items from the market to get more profit," said an official. There have been complaints of poor quality food from even deemed universities: "There has been no change in the quality of food served even after repeated complaints. The water used for cooking is not purified and cooking is done under unhygienic conditions," said a third year student of a deemed university.

There are many hostels for working people as well and those who stay there also speak of the sub-standard food. Ramani Govind, who stays in a private hostel in T Nagar, said: "The condition of the kitchen is pathetic, the quality of pulses and rice is substandard and we have also found worms in the rice served. But the charge remains high."

Anyone with complaints about poor quality food served in college and private hostels can call 23813095 or email to commrfssa@gmail.com, officials said.