Hostels run by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department in the city are getting a facelift, but poor quality food continues to remain an issue for inmates.
These hostels are home to hundreds of students hailing from different parts of Tamil Nadu who are pursuing courses in higher education in various educational institutions at Chennai.
A visit by TOI to various hostels on Sunday found students criticising the food being served for its ‘bland taste’ and the quality of water supplied at the facilities. TOI found that the number of occupants per room exceeds its designated strength —six per room.
“The living conditions are far better after the ongoing renovation work. However, there is no improvement in the quality of food served to us,” Sharma, a second year undergraduate and an inmate of the MC Raja College Boys Hostel in Saidapet said. His peers at the hostel voiced their concern over yellow coloured 'idlis' being served to them, apart from unhygienic drinking water. Inmates of Government College Boys Hostel at Nandanam and Kodambakkam also had similar complaints about food quality.
The Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department is running 22 hostels in the city, out of which 10 are for women students. According to official sources, about 2,800 inmates are staying in these hostels. “In a bid to keep outsiders away, we have already installed bio-metric scanner at MC Raja College Boys Hostel. There is a proposal to extend it to other hostels,” a department official said. Former inmates, who have completed their education are being evicted from these hostels, the official said.
Sources further said that the hostels are getting renovated at a budget of ₹15 crore. The renovation process at these hostels is in various stages of completion. “We will take steps to improve the quality of rice being served to inmates. A lot of care is being taken to supply clean drinking water... it is subjected to reverse osmosis before being distributed to these hostels,” an official said.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: The kitchen and the entrace of the MC Raja Govt Hostel in Saidapet in Chennai. Hostel inmates have complained of poor quality of food and water being served
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