With inadequate supply of essential goods, students, orphans and senior citizens have to do with available food.
Social organisations running orphanages and old-age homes in the city and also hostel authorities have started bearing the brunt of the traders’ indefinite strike.
Authorities manning the messes in these organisations are forced to compromise with the menu of the daily meals to suffice with the food grain available with them, making the inmates the real sufferers.
Caretaker of Karvenagar-based Trimurty Old Age Home Rohini Nalawade said, “Though we have given the contract to supply meals to a caterer, yet we are facing problems. Earlier, three vegetables used to be served in a meal . Now, with the strike on, only one or two vegetables are being served. As a result, we need to serve supplementary taste food like pickle, salad, butter milk etc. in more quantity to our inmates.”
Trimuty Old Age Home has a total 21 senior citizens aged between 60 and 96 years. “Due to the strike, the same vegetables are being served alternately,” Nalawade said.
Jayant Savalekar, manager of Matoshree Old Age in Karvenagar near Rajaram Bridge, said, “Fortunately, we got our stock just before the traders called for the strike. However, if the situation prevails like this for a few more days, we will be pinched badly.”
“But we are facing severe shortage of stationary at our orphanage where children are preparing for the examination,” he added. Matoshree Old Age Home has 120 senior citizens and 20 orphans.
Atmaram Jagtap, principal of a college and old age home and orphanage run by Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Trust in Kondhwa said, “Two days ago, there was shortage of leafy vegetables. Hence, we could serve only cereals. If the strike is not called off soon, it will be difficult to feed the inmates.”
Private mess operator Sushiladevi Jain said, “It has become difficult to run the business as all the shops are closed. I have to struggle hard to get food grain and vegetables. If food grain is not available, we will not be able to serve meal to the customers.”
Even the students living alone in the city and having meals at messes are facing problems. Sandip Kore, an engineering student from Zeal Education Society, said, “For the last two days we are not getting meal. We have been surviving on wada-pav and other snacks.”
Another student, Vikrant Bondase said, “We cannot even purchase food items as the shops are closed. The food quality at mess too has gone down drastically due to the strike.”
Ajit Mane, one of the diners at Jagtap Dining Hall in Model Colony, said “The ongoing strike has definitely affected the food in the mess and other messes too. The amount of oil and salt in the food has gone down. Even the ghee with the rotis has been reduced to bare minimum.”
Ashutosh Sutar, an electrician with BSNL, said that “Owing to the shortage, peas are not being served at all. Our BSNL canteen has been shut down owing to the strike and I cannot have breakfast there.”
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