Girls find worm in Guru Nanak Dev University hostel food

Amritsar, August 22

The quality of food at Guru Nanak Dev University’s girls’ hostel No. 4 continues to deteriorate despite repeated complaints. It has now become a norm every year.

The hostel girls refused to eat the food served in the mess as it was infested with worms. A worm was found in the daal served during lunch. The matter was immediately reported to the authorities concerned, including the hostel warden. The students showed the insect to the hostel administration as well.

Contractors serve sub-standard food

Contractors have been serving sub-standard food and each student has to pay even if he has not eaten a single meal. Sandhya, a resident of hostel No. 4

“We pay Rs 1,000 as mess food fee only to be served contaminated food. This is not the first instance as earlier as well a lizard was found in cooked food in the hostel mess. In boys’ hostel too, food infested with cockroaches have been served to students,” said Sandhya, a final-year student of GNDU, who is also a resident of hostel No. 4.

The girl students said the quality of food being prepared in the hostel mess for the past several months was of low standard.

“Many students have fallen severely ill many a time and it is due to the unhygienic food prepared by the mess contactor. Several complaints have been made, but nothing has changed,” said another student. Students have to shell out Rs 1,150 every month for boys and Rs 1,000 for girls as hostel mess fee, an increase of Rs 200 from last year, while items in the menu have been reduced from 32 to 27. “Contractors have been serving sub-standard food and each student has to pay even if he has not eaten a single meal. Even then, we are being served such low quality food, which is condemnable,” said Sandhya.

Pooja Chadha, warden, hostel No. 4, and Dean Students’ Welfare Dr Anish Dua did not take calls despite repeated attempts.