What A Mess! Here’s Why Hostel Canteens Across Mumbai Are Under Scrutiny

The hostel messes across Mumbai have found themselves under scrutiny in the recent days with people questioning their food quality and hygiene levels. This is following a report that a dead lizard was found in a gravy at a government run hostel.

The Early Incident

Last week, newspapers reported that a dead lizard had been seen in a gravy which was being served to students boarding at the St Eknath Boys Hostel in Chembur. The hostel is run by the state government’s Social Welfare and Justice Department.

A complaint was filed with the local Chembur Police and the Prahaar Vidyarthi Sena took up the issue. “This kind of negligence hasn’t happened for the first time in government-run hostels. Rotten, stale food and cold food is very common. Despite several complaints, there has ben no action taken against the contractors and there is no effort to ensure the quality of food is improved,” said Aditya Shravasti a member of the Prahaar Vidyarthi Sena to the Times of India.

Hostels Across The City Under The Scanner

Following the incident, many have turned their attention to other hostel messes in colleges across the city. A report in the Indian Express, for instance, states that at the Kalina Campus of the University of Mumbai, the woman in charge of the three women hostels regularly checks on the quality of food.

At both Wilson and St Xavier’s College the student and administrative bodies work together to ensure that the contractors are maintaining hygiene and food quality.

However, hygiene seems to be an age old problem when it comes to certain hostels. The Mumbai Mirror recently reported that an Amravati resident, Manoj Tekade found a lizard in the dal rice he was eating at the mess in the Backward Class Boys Government Hostel back in 2007.

As more and more reports pour in about food quality at Mumbai hostels and awareness grows, the scrutiny will probably get even more intense.