SPPU mess contractor expelled after students’ protest
The registrar of Savitribai Phule Pune University terminated the contract with the university hostel food mess contractor due to poor-quality food and insects being found. Students demanded the cancellation of the contract and the university administration sealed the mess. After protests, the registrar agreed to form a committee to oversee the quality of meals served in the mess.
Prof Prafulla Pawar, registrar of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), terminated the arrangement with the university hostel food mess contractor with immediate effect after cockroaches and other junk were found in the food served in the boys’ and girls’ hostel mess.
Pawar also promised the agitated students that a committee of students and professors would be formed in three days to oversee the quality of meals served in the mess and cafeteria.
In response, students are now demanding immediate cancellation of the mess contract for the lapse. The incident has shed light on an ongoing issue of poor-quality food being served in the university’s hostels, with the university administration taking no action. The administration sealed the mess in response to the demand.
Then, on Tuesday at about 1 pm, some student organisations marched to the SPPU Vice-Chancellor’s office in protest against recurring incidents of substandard food being served in the cafeteria.
Students raised slogans against the university administration, demanding that the varsity should provide them with basic amenities.
After aggressive protest by the students finally the SPPU registrar Prafulla Pawar interacted with the protesting students and accepted all their demands.
“We had repeatedly complained about poor quality food being served in the hostel mess over the last few days, while two days ago worms were found in the food. So, students stopped eating in the mess and have now demanded to change the contractor of the hostel mess,” said one of the students from the SPPU hostel on condition of anonymity.
While Pawar said, “A person who provides poor quality food to students will be blacklisted. It has been decided to expel the mess contractor concerned and now a mess committee will be appointed in three days and will include student representatives as well. As the mess is closed, a letter will be sent to the NGO regarding the provision of free rice twice in the morning and evening as per the demand of the students.”
