Sewage overflow at PGI canteen sparks concerns

Overflowing sewage in non-faculty staff canteen at the PGIMER has sparked serious health concerns for thousands of hospital employees, who rely on the facility for their daily meals.

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The situation has worsened following four days of continuous rainfall, with sewage rising from ankle to knee height and flooding the kitchen and dining hall of the canteen, which is also called lower cafeteria.

According to the staff members, the canteen has been grappling with drainage and sanitation issues for over a year. Despite numerous complaints and repeated pleas, no lasting solution has been found. Ashwani Kumar Munjal, chairman of the PGI Joint Action Committee, had submitted a formal complaint in May last year, highlighting sewage accumulation in the kitchen and dining area for six days, with no tangible response from the administration.

Munjal alleged that the main cause of frequent drain blockages stems from the mismanagement at the upper cafeteria, reportedly operated without inviting a proper tender by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD). He claimed that food waste and leftovers are being dumped into the drains by workers of the upper cafeteria, aggravating the situation in the lower cafeteria. Yet, he alleged, the administration has chosen not to act.

The staff canteen stinks throughout the day and cooking goes on amid unsanitary conditions.

Munjal maintained that it is not just about poor housekeeping, but administrative apathy bordering negligence. “The health of our frontline hospital staff is at stake. This cannot be brushed aside with temporary clean-ups or routine excuses,” he said.

Sludge and filthy water under dining tables and kitchen counters create unhygienic conditions in a space that caters to over 1,100 staff members for meals and over 2,500 persons for tea and snacks every day. Food prepared in the kitchen is also distributed across departments, operation theatres, and wards — raising fears of wider health risks.

With no resolution in sight and the monsoon rains only aggravating the problem, the staff members are demanding immediate and permanent corrective measures. The spotlight is now on the PGI administration, which has so far failed to address what has now escalated into a major health and hygiene crisis.