Maharashtra: Students in tribal govt hostel go without food for 6 days

Yavatmal: Tribal students at a government hostel in Umarsara town here had to go without food for six days, allegedly due to non supply of food items by the private contractor tasked with the job.

After the affected students staged a dharna and submitted a memorandum in this regard, authorities said the issue has been resolved and food is being supplied from last night.

"There was a problem of food supply from the private contractor's end. It was resolved yesterday. Temporary arrangement has been made from last night and the warden has been transferred to Nanded. Students were served food last night and today as well," Tribal Project Director, Pandharkawda, Deep Kumar Meena, said.

Fresh tender will be called and it will be finalised shortly, he added.

Earlier, students of Government Adivasi Hostel no.1 in Umarsara had claimed that there was no food service at the hostel mess due to non supply of essential commodities.

According to students' leader Santosh Atram at the hostel, they had made representations to the authorities concerned but no action was taken.

"We had lodged a complaint with the Tribal Project Officer of Pandharkawda but in vain. We had also taken out a 'dharna' (protest) in front of the local office of district guardian minister Sanjay Rathod and submitted a memorandum with out demands," he said.

He further alleged that students in adivasi hostels of the district are deprived of educational materials like text books and notebooks even though the academic session is nearing to an end.

They have been given poor quality mattresses to sleep on and wards often fall sick by eating substandard food in the mess, Atram alleged.