AIIMS shuts down mess, cafe in 2 hostels from today over hygiene complaints

New Delhi: The AIIMS administration has decided to shut down a mess and a cafe in two hostels from Tuesday over sub-standard quality of food and poor hygienic condition, according to an official order.

A letter by the AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association to institute director Dr Randeep Guleria recently alleged that poor hygienic conditions were noticed during a surprise inspection by the representatives of RDA, Scientists of Young Society and AIIMS Students Association in the presence of the hostel warden, security officials and an FSSAI official on August 10 following which it was shut down.

In the letter, it was alleged that the mess was reopened by the administration within an hour without addressing the issues. The RDA had raised several issues about the hygienic conditions and poor quality of food such as rotten vegetables, fungus growing and ants roaming in the freezer, live rat in the utensil cleaning area, lizards in the flour storage area, and mess workers working without gloves or aprons.

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"The irregularities were so severe that everyone present reasoned out that if the mess continued to function it could cause a major health hazard," the RDA mentioned in the letter.

Following this, the stores officer (hostel) at AIIMS, in an order on August 27, said, "In view of the observations during the surprise inspection of the various messes by members of the food safety and hygiene committee, the executive members of the user organizations, and food safety inspectors it has been decided to shut down the messes in Hostel 7 and the cafe in hostel 5 with effect from the morning of Tuesday."