Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has cancelled the contract of the private operator running its girls’ hostel mess after the Food and Drug Administration suspended the contractor’s licence for 14 days over food safety violations. The university has shifted students to its main refectory while it prepares a fresh tender for the mess service.
The FDA inspected the hostel mess on Tuesday and identified violations. The regulator then conducted a hearing on Thursday under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, before suspending the operator’s licence for 14 days. The suspension was initially temporary and gave the contractor an opportunity to rectify the violations before a reinspection.
SPPU decided to terminate the contract instead of waiting for the temporary suspension process to conclude. The action follows concerns over food quality and safety at the girls’ hostel mess and places the university’s handling of essential student services under scrutiny.
“We have directed students to have their meals at the main refectory until further notice. We will float a fresh tender for the mess along with those for several shops. The contractor has also been asked to refund students’ fees collected in advance,” SPPU registrar Prafulla Pawar said, according to the report.
The decision means students using the girls’ hostel mess will have to rely on the university’s main refectory until a replacement arrangement is made. The university has not announced a specific date for the new mess tender or indicated how long the interim food arrangement will continue.
The case also illustrates how responsibility is divided when a contracted food service operating within a public institution faces regulatory action. The FDA’s inspection and licence suspension address compliance with food-safety requirements, while the university’s decision concerns the continuation of the service contract and the immediate provision of meals to hostel residents.
SPPU has also asked the contractor to refund fees collected from students in advance. The refund instruction follows the cancellation of the contract and is separate from the FDA’s temporary licence suspension and proposed reinspection process.
The FDA action was initiated after its inspection of the facility, while the university’s contract decision was taken after the regulatory intervention. The next steps identified by the university are the operation of the temporary refectory arrangement, refunds of advance fees and the floating of a fresh tender for the mess and several shops.
