Agartala, October 1: Tripura SC Welfare Minister Sudhangshu Das on Wednesday directed officials to address complaints raised by students during a surprise inspection of two government hostels at Jagannath Bari, including issues related to drinking water and food quality.
Das visited the Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hostel and the SC Girls’ Hostel to take stock of the facilities available to students and assess the implementation of welfare measures.
During the inspection, the minister verified the occupancy of the hostels against the sanctioned number of seats and reviewed various amenities provided by the government.
He also inspected computers and an open-air gymnasium installed at the premises and sought information from officials about their maintenance and use.
Das interacted with students and heard their concerns regarding the quality of food being served and the services provided by trainers engaged for special programmes.
The minister assured the students that their complaints had been recorded and that appropriate steps would be taken to address the issues.
Drinking water quality was among the key concerns raised during the interaction, with students complaining about high iron content in the water.
Das said the Public Health Engineering Department had already installed an iron-removal unit but sought an explanation as to why the problem continued.
He directed the concerned Sub-Divisional Officer and engineers to inspect the water supply system and determine the cause of the problem at the earliest.
The minister further said that a departmental officer would visit the hostel within two days to examine the drinking water issue and facilitate necessary corrective action.
On food quality, Das said complaints had been received in the past and that action had been taken against staff following earlier lapses.
Some workers were replaced and new personnel engaged, he said.
The minister also referred to allegations of misconduct involving some kitchen staff following disputes with students. The workers concerned admitted their mistakes and were subsequently transferred to other hostels, he said.
“If someone accepts their fault and shows remorse, they should be given a chance to improve. But if irregularities occur again, strict action will follow,” Das said.
The minister said the SC Welfare Department would continue to monitor the functioning of government hostels and ensure that students received proper facilities and services.
He stressed that maintaining infrastructure alone was not enough and that regular monitoring of food, water and other essential services was equally important.
Das said the department would follow up on the issues identified during the inspection and take necessary steps to improve conditions for hostel residents.
