A cafeteria that serves substandard foods to CU students

As many as 5,000 students have been facing problem in having their lunch during the class hours due to absence of a quality restaurant or cafeteria in the vicinity of the arts faculty.

Most of the students are to attend their classes with empty stomach. The authorities are indifferent to the problems.

The rice mixed with stones, human hair, feathers of poultry and sands are being served to the students at the cafeteria. As a result, they keep themselves away from having lunch in the cafeteria.

The floor of the cafeteria always remains dirty and damp as it is set up in the basement of the arts faculty.

In the rainy season, the cafeteria goes under knee-deep water as it has no protective wall.

Besides, stinks of a toilet just behind the kitchen pollute the atmosphere of the cafeteria.

Sumi, a final year student of the English department told The Daily Star that she had not taken lunch for even a day at the cafeteria in five years.

"Most of the time I carry some foods from my home to avoid the cafeteria," she said.

Ayub Ali, owner of the cafeteria, said he runs it without any subsidy from the university authorities. "We requested the administration, particularly the proctor, several times to construct a wall to protect the cafeteria from rainwater to keep it hygienic," Ayub said.

We also sought some subsidy to serve nutritious foods at the cafeteria, he added.

There is, however, no option for the students to take lunch at the faculty area except the underground cafeteria. Owners of the tea stalls known as "Jhupri" few yards away from the arts faculty serves snacks and fast food to the students during the lunch hour. Chittagong University Central Students Union (Cucsu) cafeteria serves polau (delicious rice dish) and meat but their quality is also poor.

Most of the students take the contaminated fast food finding no alternatives. As a result, they often suffer from various stomach-related diseases, including diarrhoea and dysentery.

Fahad, a student of journalism department said that he did not have any food at the cafeteria or the "Jhupri" though he had to stay at the faculty till 5.00pm three days a week.

"It is better to stay with an empty stomach instead of having lunch at the cafeteria," he said.

Vice-Chancellor Professor AJM Nuruddin Chowdhury said that they have nothing to do with it due to shortage of fund.