The mess is currently managed by Suresh Salve of Yash Bahuuddeshiya Sahakari Sanstha
In a shocking incident, a dead lizard was found in the mess food served at the Sant Eknath Boys Hostel in Chembur. The hostel is run by the Social Welfare and Justice Department that houses a total of 130 male students.
On Sunday morning, as students were serving themselves lunch at the mess, a boy, Rahul Jambhulkar, noticed that there was a dead lizard in the gravy. "I was pouring some gravy onto my plate when I was shocked to see a dead lizard in it. We immediately brought this to the notice of the mess authorities but they did not seem very concerned. In the past, we have found pieces of glass and insects in the food but nothing seems to have changed despite complaints," added Jambhulkar.
The issue was later taken up by the Prahar Vidyarthi Sanghatna whose members registered a written complaint with the department and the Chembur police. "This kind of negligence is not happening for the first time in government-run hostels. Rotten and stale food, cold food is very common. Despite several complaints, however, there seems to be no action against the contractors and there is no effort to ensure the quality of food is improved" said Aditya Shravasti, member of the Prahaar Vidyarthi Sena.
The mess contract for the hostel is currently with Yash Bahuuddeshiya Sahakari Sanstha managed by Suresh Salve. Salve said that all the allegations made by the students were baseless. "We have a mechanism to check the food quality including CCTV cameras and several supervisors in place. It is very unlikely that such a thing would happen," he said. He also added, "Students often engage in practices that are not permitted as per the hostel rules like getting outsiders to the mess, taking big portions of food to their rooms, etc. Last year, we registered a complaint with the state authorities regarding this. There are chances that those same students have played this stunt".
When asked about this, Avinash Devsatvar, assistant commissioner of the Social Welfare & Justice Department of Mumbai suburbs, said that an inquiry has been initiated into the case. "Some students have reported that they found a lizard in the food. As a precautionary measure, we have decided to terminate the services of the contractor. An alternate arrangement shall be made for the mess till a new contractor is appointed," he added.
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