UoH Dispatch diaries- 'Student Concerns', Yet None Concerned!

Food courts on the UoH campus are charging more than the prescribed rates from the students. On top of it, these food joints are poorly maintained much to the chagrin of the students.

The Campus Amenities Committee (CAC), which fixes the rates for the food items in the campus, recommended that the rate for a plate of curd rice should be Rs. 13. But they charge Rs.25 at GOPS. While CAC’s rate for chicken curry is Rs.25, some shops in the campus are collecting Rs.50. Similarly, the CAC fixed Rs.18 as the price for a plate of dal rice but they collect Rs.20 for it.

In an investigation carried out by the UoH Dispatch, it was found that almost all the food joints are collecting their own rates on certain food items throwing the CAC recommendations to the winds. When enquired, some shop owners as well as students, said that they are not aware of a body called CAC and their recommended prices.

“It is unfair to collect more money from students,” says Abhilash, MA History. In fact, the CAC had come up with its latest revised rates of food items to be sold in all canteens or food joints inside the campus in the month of August, considering the increasing prices of food commodities. It is shocking to know that some of the major dishes served do not follow the rates mentioned in the list.

When asked about these differences in the rates suggested by CAC and the rates charged by the shop owners, Prof. G. Uma Maheswara Rao, Head, CAC, said: “We are unaware of such issues”. “If such things (discrepancies) are brought to the notice of administration, severe action would be taken,” he added.

A canteen owner made it clear that he was charging more because he was serving more. But Prof. Rao is not ready to buy this argument. “Why do they have to serve more for a plate and charge more? They are supposed to charge only for what they are asked to serve,” he said.

Maintenance and hygiene:

The eating joint at shopping complex remains testimony to the sorry state of affairs. Water deposited on the ceiling leaks even when it does not rain and the doors are eaten up by termites. The kitchen walls are full of soot, thanks to the poor maintenance.

The rents for these shops were hiked last year and also maintenance charge of Rs. 500 is collected every month. One of the eatery owners said that he was not allowed to modify or renovate his shop. “I have filed so many applications for the modification of the shop, but have not received any response from the administration so far,” he maintained.

“It is extremely difficult to hang out at GOPS when it rains, the water totally pours in. Why did not anyone raise this issue and ask for a tarpaulin cover?” Sharath of MSc Physics observed.

Contracts:

The shops at shopping complex, food court at GOPS and the various canteens around the campus are let out on lease for a year and could be extended for another year by the University administration. But it is seen that these shops and canteens have been running by the same individuals over the past few decades. Every year fresh tenders are called but the shops are let out on lease to the same individuals. The call for tenders is also a mode of revenue as the applications are sold for a certain sum of money.

Some shops are even let out for rent by the people who actually have taken it on lease from the university. There have been instances where shops have been transferred to a new owner which is against the rules. The shop/canteen owner has no rights over the property, which belongs to the university. “Sub-letting of these shops without university’s notice is actually very dangerous,” says a senior student who was a previous student union member. He adds that in the case of an accident, say food poisoning, it will become highly troublesome and complicated for the administration.

Responding to this, Prasanna Kumar, Deputy Registrar of Estates Section, says: “We are seriously looking into the sub-letting issues related to shops and canteens. We cannot allow this to happen.”