Protesting against hike in canteen rates, students of Pune University take morcha to office of vice-chancellor, threaten to boycott lectures
Protesting against hike in canteen rates, students of Pune University take morcha to office of vice-chancellor, threaten to boycott lectures
Fed up of the failure of University of Pune in rolling back the hike in prices of food items at the canteen, aboutu00a0 200 students tooku00a0 a morcha to Vice-Chancellor Dr R K Shevgaonkar's office.
The students who couldn't meet the vice-chancellor yesterday have said that if demands aren't met in a few days then they would get all students to boycott lectures at the university and force a shutdown of work.
In February, the prices of food items at the university canteen went up by more than 50 per cent forcing the monthly budget of hostel students to spin out of control. Since then, students claimed that they have been complaining to the canteen committee and senior university officials but to no avail.
"Firstly, they hiked the rates without any intimation to students and by a high percentage. Also, the quality of food is bad and cleanliness is a never-heard-of-term here. Students sit amongst cockroaches, flies and left-over food thrown on floor to eat meals as they have no other option," said Rupesh Bhagwat, final year student of MA Economics.
Students claimed that as against Rs 840 that they spent monthly for two meals at the canteen, the budget had hiked upto Rs 1,500. Notices have been pasted by the students outside hostels, lecture halls and departments asking the other 1,100-odd hostel students depending on canteen food to boycott it until rates were subsidised. There are six canteens and a refectory on the university campus.
"We have done a cost comparison with other universities like Delhi's Jawarharlal Nehru University, Mumbai University, Aurangabad University and even colleges within Pune and have found that rates have been hiked only at UoP. When other universities can function at the same rate, why can't the contractor here do it?" questioned Basavraj Karbhari, student of MA Economics.
He added that apart from price and cleanliness, students also want the contractor to be reprimanded as they allege he would pick up fights with the students. The students who couldn't meet the vice-chancellor yesterday have said that if demands aren't met in a few days then they would get all students to boycott lectures at the university and force a shutdown of work.
"We will have to resort to some extreme step if they don't listen to us," threatened Bhagwat.
Meeting called
Meanwhile, the canteen and refectory committee has called for a meeting with the operators to discuss the hike.
"Most students have their meals in the refectory so the operator there should be convinced to lower the prices. If not all items, at least rates of tea and poha or upma which students cannot do without on a daily basis, will be decreased," said a member of the canteen committee.
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