The girls’ hostel mess at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has been closed after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pune, acted on repeated student complaints about food quality and hygiene. The mess operator, M/s Maratha Caterers, represented by Akash Rajaram Mohite, was inspected on October 6, with food samples collected for further examination.
According to a report by Punekar News, students had complained that foreign objects and insects were being found in food served at the hostel. An insect was allegedly found in poha served for breakfast on October 2 and 3, while plastic was reportedly found in vegetables served on September 28 and 29. Another complaint concerned a metal wire found in food.
The FDA inspection reportedly found cockroaches and unhygienic conditions inside the mess kitchen. The inspection report was submitted to senior FDA officials for further action. The supplied report does not state the findings of the food sample analysis or whether any final regulatory order has been issued against the operator.
Following the FDA action, the university administration closed the mess and issued a letter to the concerned operator, according to a communication circulated on October 8. The closure came after students had repeatedly raised complaints with the university administration and questioned the effectiveness of the existing food-quality monitoring system.
Abhishek Shelkar, president of the University Students’ Struggle Action Committee’s SPPU unit and a member of the university’s food quality control committee, welcomed the FDA intervention. He said action against the operator was necessary in view of the complaints but argued that repeated incidents required a permanent solution rather than temporary measures.
Shelkar demanded that SPPU consider starting a centralised mess under the university’s direct supervision so that students receive safe and nutritious food. Student representatives have also sought accountability from the authorities and stronger monitoring of food supplied in the hostel.
The immediate operational arrangements for students after the mess closure, and the outcome of the FDA’s food sample examination, were not specified in the supplied report. The next steps will depend on the FDA’s further action and the university’s decision on the mess operator and its food-quality monitoring system.
