Students denied proper food in hostels: Sharmila

Sharmila, who is doing
Maro Praja Prasthanam Padayatra on behalf of YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan
Mohan Reddy, lamented that the Government’s decision to restrict subsidized
cooking gas supply to six cylinders in a year would make the students in social
welfare hostels starve as their daily mess charges were not increased.

Interacting with
students of Kasturba Girls’ School near Pedda Kadabur in Kurnool district on
Thursday, Sharmila said social welfare students were finding it difficult to
have two square meals a day even at present as they were paid only Rs.17 each
per day for food.

“In these
circumstances, the restriction on subsidized cooking gas supply will impose
additional burden as the mess charges are not increased. The students would go
half-hungry without proper food,” she said, adding the Government’s decision
has caused injustice to those living in social welfare hostels.

Sharmila said even the
prisoners in jails are paid Rs.45 each every day. It is unfortunate that
students are not getting even that much amount for food, she observed.

Hostel inmates of the
school complained to Sharmila there was no milk supply to them. “We get eggs
three days in a week. We don’t have playground and compound wall also,” they
told her, adding that gas price increase and restriction on subsidized cooking
gas supply were making their lives difficult in hostels.

Earlier, Sharmila
addressed a public meeting at Pedda Kadaburu and criticized Chief Minister
Kiran Kumar Reddy for not trying to solve the people’s problems.

(Updated on Nov 16,
2012)