Kerala - Kochi   

Maharaja's College hostellers face tough time

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Hostel is like a second home but life has become really tough for the inmates of the men's hostel at Ernakulam Maharaja's College.

Nine students of the hostel were admitted to the General Hospital last week after they complained of fever and vomiting.

Two more students were admitted later forcing a section of the occupants to leave the hostel.

They launched an agitation demanding immediate steps to clean the hostel. Following continued protests, the authorities agreed to initiate urgent work including cleaning of canals and the water tank inside the hostel. A medical team will visit the hostel to suggest measures to check outbreak of any diseases.

But students fear that the situation might go out of control unless drastic steps are taken to renovate the hostel. More than 120 students are housed at the men's hostel.

"We had alerted the authorities several times that the hostel is in a very bad condition. The water tank had not been cleaned for months. Canals are choked with dirt," says Raja, a hostel inmate.

Students have been complaining that the mess hall is functioning in a very unhealthy surrounding.

"Food is not covered. The storeroom is also maintained poorly. We have spotted rats moving freely in the storeroom and mess hall. Food kept for the inmates is not covered properly. We had also pointed out that there is a shortage of utensils for keeping the food covered. The inmates also face the threat of water-borne diseases, as the tank used for storing water is not cleaned regularly," a student said.

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