Commotion prevailed at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) at Basar in Nirmal district after a section of students refused to eat meals on Saturday night and breakfast on Sunday morning demanding immediate cancellation of the contract of the organisers of the messes attached to the hostels on campus and improve the food quality and resolve all their long pending issues.
The incident comes less than one and a half months after the week-long sit-in by students that rocked the institute. The week-long stir was called off on June 21 paving the way for resumption of classes following the intervention of Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, who visited the campus and assured the aggrieved students to ensure speedy resolution of their demands on the same day.
Their 12-point charter of demands included appointment of a regular Vice -Chancellor and adequate faculty members, renovation of the hostel buildings, provision of requisite amenities and quality food, among others.
Agitated over the recent alleged food poisoning incident at a hostel attached mess on the campus, a section of students held a protest by refusing to eat food since Saturday night demanding cancellation of the present mess contract and urgent measures to ensure quality food.
The university officials met the agitated students the same night and apprised them of the measures taken to improve the quality of food and amenities on campus. Mild tension prevailed at Lokeshwaram when the police reportedly prevented BJP MP from Adilabad Soyam Babu Rao from heading towards Basar by stopping his car midway.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media at the RGUKT, in-charge vice-chancellor Venkataramana said the quality of food is being monitored daily by the wardens under the supervision of the director. “We are yet to receive the lab and police reports on the recent alleged food poisoning incident,” he said, adding that an inquiry was underway into the allegations of negligence and procedural lapses.
The Face Recognition Software will be used to improve the functioning of the messes, he said, adding that the university has set in motion the process of calling for expression of interest for the maintenance of messes as the present contract is slated to expire in September this year.
He further added that the Education Minister is regularly monitoring the functioning of the university and ongoing efforts to resolve all the issues raised by the students in an expeditious manner.
