Health department officials carried out a flash raid on a working women’s hostel at Kakkanad on Wednesday. They found that the hostel, largely occupied by Infopark employees, was functioning under unhygienic circumstances.
The inspection was conducted after the hostel inmates complained to the police and health department of Thrikkakara municipality. According to the health department officials, the inmates of Alphonsa Ladies Hostel, near Kuzhukkattumula in Kakkanad, had approached the department in the afternoon seeking help.
They told the officials that 10 women were not allowed to enter the hostel till 10 pm the other day by the hostel authorities after they raised a furore over the general bad condition of the hostel.
They had questioned the hostel authorities when they were charged `20 for a glass of hot water for their co-inmate who was ill.
They also raised questions on the quantity of food distributed in the hostel. They alleged that the hostel matron then forced them out of the hostel and banned their entry.
Police officials said they acted on the complaint and are investigating the validity of the licence of the hostel.
The Health Department officials said they conducted a thorough inspection on the safety and hygiene conditions of the hostel.
“The hygiene and cleanliness was not up to mark,” Thrikkakara municipality health standing committee chairman V D Suresh said.
“We found some rotten food and the drainage tanks near the dining room were open. The Food and Safety Department has been asked conduct tests on the items seized from the hostel,” he said.
However, the hostel authorities refuted the allegations. “The girls made a furore when we sought their rent,” said an official associated with the hostel.