NEW DELHI: The canteens serving food to students and faculties at the prestigious Delhi University colleges and departments run without licence. An RTI query has revealed the canteens lack mandatory licence from the food regulator, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India.
According to FSSAI guidelines, all canteens should facilitate clean water storage tank, proper open windows and doors with suitable fly-proofing and fitted with strip curtains but as many as 80 canteens do not adhere to these norms.
Under the UGC guidelines issued in October last year, FSSAI licence is mandatory for every educational institution.
The RTI query also revealed that JNU has implemented the UGC guidelines and all its canteens have valid licenses from FSSAI.
“Adequate cleaning, disinfecting facility for equipment and Utensils, proper facilities for washing of raw material and utensils, workers should be provided with clean aprons, head wears ,hand gloves and foot wear and so on,” the guidelines by FSSAI stated.
Another letter from a student of DU Law faculty has reached FSSAI seeking inspections in the college canteens so that a minimum standard is followed for serving food to the students.
Delhi University has 16 faculties, 86 academic departments, 77 colleges and five other recognised institutes spread all over the city with over one lakh students attending it on a daily basis and 50 percent of them depend on the canteen food.
The Sunday Standard inspected some DU canteens and found that the food is cooked on the domestic LPG cylinder illegally instead of on the blue cylinders meant for commercial purposes. Canteen workers don’t follow the basic norms; they don’t wear gloves, no cleaning and sanitation is maintained in the canteens.
“I come from Noida Extension everyday to Art faculty to attend the early morning lecture. I often miss my breakfast and lunch, and choose to eat at the canteen but a few months ago I got infection and food poisoning,” Chitranjali, a student, said.