Panjab University session starts today, students expect better hygiene at Student Centre

Akashdeep Virk

Chandigarh, July 7

With Panjab University gearing up for the resumption of its academic session, the Student Centre, known as StuC, is all set to provide better hygiene to students.

Two weeks back a cockroach was reportedly found in a meal served at one of StuC’s tuck shops, after which students held a protest. Reacting to the situation, the university authorities fined a few shops for not maintaining hygiene and ordered closure of shops on a rotation basis once a month to carry out cleanliness work. After the incident, a few students had also forcefully entered some shops and shot videos of these outlets. The videos later went viral on the social media.

“We usually clean the kitchen before serving the meals. We are bound to ensure proper hygiene and serve good quality food. We can’t do injustice to our livelihood and our customers. Besides regular cleaning, we will also carry out intensive cleaning of kitchens once a month as per the instructions issued by the university administration,” said a shopkeeper on the condition of anonymity.

He further added, “The incident was unfortunate. We had collectively decided to shut our shops on specific days of each month for cleaning and maintenance purposes. While half of the shops will be shut on the second Sunday of each month, the others will follow suit on the last Sunday of every month.”

Even as students are disappointed over the quality of food and unhygienic conditions, some eatery managers blamed students for the poor upkeep of the StuC. “Majority of the students leave the food trays and waste anywhere around the centre. The students should also contribute towards a clean campus by keeping the used plates at designated spots,” added a shopkeeper.

Some shopkeepers also demanded a revision of the food prices. “Prices of basic raw materials have increased, but we are selling the eatables at the same old rates. One gets very affordable food here and sometimes we have to contribute from our pockets to run the business here,” added another shopkeeper.