No cook or infra to make food at Adi Dravidar Welfare hostels in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The Adi Dravidar Welfare (ADW) department pledges on quality education, food and residence for students through its hostels. However, wardens of these hostels have claimed that they do not have the required infrastructure ranging from cooks and utensils to provide food for its students. Wardens of hostels in the Adi Dravidar Welfare schools lament over the lack of personnel and other basic facilities to cook for their students. They also tell NIRUPA SAMPATH that the allotted Rs 1,400/month for food expenses per child is insufficient

Though these hostels have no cooks, space and the required utensils to prepare the food for its students, especially in residential schools of the State, wardens lament that they have to bring in the cooks, buy the materials by themselves and also provide a salary which are not accounted for.

Interestingly, DT Next through its interaction with several wardens, students and staff found that the situation dire in several districts of the State. And, the plight is no less in Chennai city as well.

A warden in Villupuram said, “Firstly, though the State government has increased the amount per child to Rs 1,400 it’s not enough to provide quality food with all nutritional requirements. Secondly, there are not enough cooks in most ADW hostels and residential schools. I had to personally scout for cooks, and ultimately employ a teacher’s relative to meet the demand.”

Meanwhile, the ADW department had directed the hostels and residential schools to provide chapati, poori and other food items that are both time and labour-consuming. The wardens lament that they do not have enough personnel to cook these items for breakfast.

A warden in Madurai pointed out that the department had not provided the utensils or facilities to make these dishes. “It’s highly stressful to prepare these dishes before 8 am with just one cook. There are hostels and residential schools with 50 students and just one sanctioned cook,” added the warden. “And, there are hostels in central districts that have around 350 students but only two sanctioned cooks. How are they supposed to cook these time-consuming dishes before 8 am for so many students?”

Furthermore, a staff of an ADW hostel in Kalvarayan Hills noted that they had to struggle to find personnel to hire as cooks as the sanctioned numbers were very few. “The hilly area has several ADW and Tribal Welfare schools, but the department has not provided us with enough facilities such as a cooking area, cooks, utensils, etc.,” rued the staff.

Meanwhile, after an announcement was made in September last year, the ADW department introduced a ‘centralised kitchen’ system for Chennai hostels, and planned to provide food for 2,000 students. Currently, for 26 ADW hostels in the city, the food is being prepared in Vepery and Saidapet. However, due to proximity, two hostels, including one in Meenabakkam, has been excluded from the list.

A warden of a city hostel said, “Though the department has been monitoring the operations of centralised kitchens in the city, officials have left out the important factor – taste. Due to poor taste, kids have been throwing away the food, leading to an increase in wastage. It’s unfortunate the tender was allotted to a private party that gives less prominence to taste. Also, children seemed relishing the food prepared at the respective hostels more satisfying.”

However, the department sources have hinted that the centralised kitchen will be extended to six new corporations in TN.