Hostelers demand better facilities
Girls stage protest, complaining about hostel warden and poor quality of food
The girls residing at the Dr Ambedkar Centenary Memorial College Girls’ Hostel staged a protest on Saturday, complaining about poor facilities and incompetence of the warden.
The girls started their protest rejecting breakfast. The food quality at the hostel is poor and the residents are also not fed properly, they alleged. In addition, they accused the warden of not caring for sick residents.
Sole support
In contrast, one girl refuted the allegations, saying all was fine in the hostel. She said so even to the department officers and the medipersons.
The protesting students had informed leaders of the Raitha Sangha and the Hasiru Sene on Saturday that the food served for breakfast was substandard. The leaders arrived at the Hostel and listened to the complaints.
When they demanded to speak to Sukanya, the warden, however, Lakshmi, one of the residents, objected. She insisted that the problems of the hostel would be internally resolved.
She also objected to the mediapersons clicking photographs of the food, which the other girls said was of poor quality.
Suggandahalli Muniraju, Social Welfare Department Taluk In-charge Officer, too arrived at the hostel and listened to the students.
He also warned Lakshmi, saying it was difficult to believe her when she was the only resident who stood up for the warden and claimed there were no problems in the hostel.
Advice to students
Muniraju also spoke to the other girls, reminding them they had come to the hostel to stay while studying. “Pay attention to studies, do not group up and fight. This only creates greater problems, instead of solving them,” he told them.
He said the girls’ habit of eating in their respective rooms instead of the dining room of the hostel was against rules.
Television issue
“The residents are given television for use during free-time. But, you spend too much time in front of it,” he accused the students and added that the television facility was withdrawn from the hostel.
The television should be installed in the dining hall according to rules, but the students were against it, he said.
The officer assured the students he would look into the issues they had complained about, after getting information from them officially.
Student faints
Just then one student collapsed and was rushed to the district hospital immediately.
The other students, however, blamed the facilities in the hostel for the condition of the student.
“She would not have collapsed if she got good food,” they said and added that such incidence took place at least a couple of times every week.
‘Rented building for the hostel soon’
Suggandahalli Muniraju, Social Welfare Department Taluk In-charge Officer, said the Dr Ambedkar Centenary Memorial College Girls’ Hostel had 170 students staying in it.
“The hostel houses students from DEd, BEd, nursing, LLB and other courses, leading to a lot of congestion. Many of the rooms have eight to nine students,” he explained.
Speaking to mediapersons, Muniraju said it has been decided to provide a separate, rented building for students doing professional courses.
“Things generally go fine immediately after the warden is warned, but revert to the old condition gradually,” he rued and said the Department took efforts to solve problems of any hostel managed by it.
