Kochi: A day after the row over a food poisoning scare at a Kolenchery-based engineering college, the district Health Department on Tuesday ordered the closure of hostels and mess of Jai Bharat Engineering College in Perumbavoor, citing unhygienic conditions.
The direction came after a five-member squad of the department led by District Medical Officer Dr Haseena Muhammed inspected the college hostels, mess and canteen.
“The department has decided to carry out inspections at hostels and canteens of all colleges in the district following the incident at Kolenchery. We ordered the closure of two men’s hostels and a women’s hostel of Jai Bharat College.
The hostels lack basic facilities and the students are forced to sleep in unhygienic conditions. There is not even a proper path to the hostels. The building can be compared to cow sheds”, Dr Muhammed said.
The squad found the conditions there conducive for mosquito breeding. The kitchen was functioning in an unhygienic environment. The purity of drinking water too was questionable and samples were collected for testing the presence of e-coli bacteria.
The kitchen staff had no health cards as stipulated and the hostel rooms were found wanting in basic amenities. “The college authorities have been asked to take corrective measures on a war footing.
They have to convene a parent-teacher meet. It would be attended by the DMO too. It’ll analyse the situation and take a decision on opening the hostels and canteens,” the officer said.
The team also inspected the canteen facilities at Sree Narayana Gurukulam College of Engineering where a case of food poisoning was reported the other day.
Meanwhile, officers of the Food Safety Department inspected various colleges and found many of them flouting rules of hygiene.
“We’ve levied a fine of Rs 10,000 on Jai Bharat Engineering College, Perumbavoor, Rs 25,000 on St Teresa’s College and Rs 30,000 on Sree Narayana Gurukulam College of Engineering, Kadayirippu.
