3 hostel inmates fall sick without proper food at Ambedkar hostel in Raichur

RAICHUR: Three student of the Ambedkar hostel under the Social Welfare Department in Sindhanur fell ill after they had breakfast at the hostel on Saturday.

The three students — Belli, Gyanappa and Srikant — fell down vomiting and had severe stomach pain after breakfast and are now undergoing treatment at the Sindhanur taluk hospital.

The students claim that they are not getting proper food on time at the hostel and have expressed outrage against the warden and SWD officials.. Sometimes, there is shortage of meals and the health issues have arisen because the hostel staff serve half-cooked food, they alleged. There are about 200 students in the hostel and issues regarding cleanliness, drinking water and food are increasing by the day.

On their part, the official claim they have not get any grants from the government over the 10 months for hostel expenses, due to with the staff are not getting their salaries.

Gyanappa, a hostel inmate claimed that there is no proper food arrangements at the hostel.

Gyanappa, one of the hostel inmates, claimed that no food had been prepared at the hostel for the three days and that they were forced to get meals from the outside. “Three of us fell sick due to badly prepared food. There are proper facilities available at the hostel”, he added.

Social Welfare Department Assistant Director Vijaya said, there is shortage of cooking staff at the hostel.

Assistant Director of Social Welfare Department, Vijaya, expressed her helplessness as the cook suddenly quit work due to which students are facing trouble. If additional employees are appointed through outsourcing, it would be helpful for hostel, she felt.

“Students are now demanding that the food menu be followed properly. We received around Rs 1 crore grants from the government and that was spent on salary disbursal”, Vijaya said.