BHUBANESWAR: Inmates of Thakkar Bapa Special Boys’ Hostel at Unit III here on Sunday staged a road blockade protesting over lack of basic facilities and poor quality of food served to them.
Hundreds of inmates sat on dharna in front of the hostel gate blocking the Exhibition Ground road for several hours. Inmates of the hostel, set up by SC and ST Development department, alleged that the standard of food provided to them is poor.
“The rice provided to us some times is not properly cooked,” alleged one of the hostel inmates. They demanded that the officials should pay surprise visit to the hostel to monitor the quality of food being served to the inmates. They said the hostel also lacks proper hygiene.
They alleged the Government is spending `720 per student per month for food and `30 towards miscellaneous expenditure which includes purchase of soap, oil and toothpaste. The amount in inadequate, they added. The inmates called off their protest in the afternoon after authorities assured to look into their grievances.
The Welfare Extension Officer (WEO) of city responsible for management of the hostel, however, couldn’t be reached for comments. The agitation by the students caused serious inconvenience to commuters.