Ministers in the Chandrababu Naidu’s Cabinet are talking of investing crores of rupees in building education cities and knowledge hubs, including one at Sabbavaram in Visakhapatnam district, while the reality at the ground level is quite different. Inmates of SC/ST and BC hostels in Visakhapatnam complain lack of mere basic amenities.
When the students tried to lodge their protest and air their grievances to the District Collector, they were beaten up by the police at the Collector’s office on Tuesday. A few of the girl students were kicked and dragged by their hair to the waiting vans and taken into custody.
The protest continued on Wednesday and about 100 students and SFI and DYFI activists were again taken into custody near AVN College and Visakha Women’s College.
Talking to The Hindu , Lalitha and Swathi, second year degree students and inmates of a hostel in the Old Town poured out their woes.
The basic protest revolves round the food that is being provided and the lack of basic amenities.
In Visakhapatnam, there are 19 hostels run by the Social Welfare Department, housing about 15,000 students, both girls and boys.
Since about a year, the students have not been served a proper breakfast. Instead of breakfast what is being served is gruel of rice and starch. At lunch, rice and plain daal is the staple food, while the menu calls for rice with sambar, daal and at least a curry with a fruit.
“And at dinner we are served the same rice and daal. We are supposed to get one egg every day with milk for breakfast. We are fortunate if we get one egg per week. We have never seen milk or a fruit in the last one year. Where is all the money going,” questioned Lalitha.
“Coming to rice, the officials concerned are still serving the quota rice, while in Telangana, the government has shifted to the finer variety,” said Democratic Youth Federation of India district secretary V.V. Srinivasa Rao.
“Keeping the food aside, there are no basic amenities at hostels. There is no drinking water facility and students continue to drink water that is used for utility purpose,” said K. Prudhviraj, city president of SFI.
“All the hostels still continue to operate from rented premises and about 30 girls are pushed into one room with a toilet. Sanitation is poor and some of the bathrooms do not function or have no doors,” said M.V.S. Sarma, MLC.
There are no basic amenities at hostels. Students drink water that is used for utility purpose
K. Prudhviraj
City president of SFI
