Dhabas not hygienic, JNU mulls food courts

The iconic "dhabas" of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) may soon be forced to compete with the food court-style restaurants, as the authorities are looking to open a number of them to fulfil the "demand" of students for hygienic food.

The JNU administration took the decision to this effect in the 277th meeting of the Executive Council held on Tuesday.

"In response to growing demand from the students for availability of clean and hygienic food, and also creating good ambience in the campus, the Executive Council...has taken a decision to explore the feasiblity of food courts at suitable locations in the campus," the JNU administration said in a statement.

It said that these food courts will provide a space for networking among students from diverse background and will be able to serve them a varied cuisine.

The administration said it will take action against the canteens which are not following the catering rules and which failed to provide clean and affordable food. It said it has called for fresh tenders for canteens and will not allow the culprits to take part in the tendering process.

In the meeting, the administration decided to temporarily close down one reading room in the main Library in the campus to "improve the fire safety measures".

The JNU Students Union reacted sharply to the news of possible closure of "dhabas", and called the decision undemocratic.

"JNU's public spaces are places of academic engagement and have been built and cultivated over decades.

"Destruction of those spaces through closing down of existing dhabhas for corporate takeover is nothing but a blatant move of privatisation which JNU administration has started," union President N. Sai Balaji said.

--IANS

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