Pune: MNS Stages Protest At COEP Girls’ Hostel Over Unhygienic Food & Poor Facilities

The Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNS students’ wing) staged a strong protest at the COEP Girls’ Hostel on Friday after repeated complaints of unhygienic food, poor maintenance and lack of basic amenities allegedly went unheard by the college administration.

The MNS student wing alleged that the hostel mess is not providing hygienic food to the students. They claimed cockroaches, a stapler pin, and flies were reportedly found in the food. Similar complaints had been made before Diwali, but hostel authorities and the mess management allegedly ignored them. MNS leaders accused the mess manager, caterers and wardens of “playing with the health and safety of the girl students.”

According to the MNS statement, the hostel has been facing multiple issues, including unclean and foul-smelling dining areas, broken furniture, irregular water supply, and poor sanitation in bathrooms. Despite repeated student complaints, the hostel administration has taken no concrete action.

Students who did not wish to disclose their names said they are facing serious issues.

Dhananjay Dalvi, MNS Pune City President (Student Wing), told The Free Press Journal that students are facing severe inconvenience due to irregular water supply, particularly affecting them during menstruation. “Although the college advertises 24x7 water and electricity during admissions, in reality, water is not available even for 6 to 8 hours a day. MNS always stands for the welfare and safety of students,” the protestors declared. “The COEP administration has cheated the students by falsely promising fully equipped hostel facilities.”

On the promise of not disclosing their names, students told FPJ that there is poor Wi-Fi connectivity and mobile network coverage inside the hostel, which severely hampers academic work. Additionally, there is an absence of lights in staircases and passages, broken windows and doors in rooms, frequent lift failures and unhygienic bathrooms.

The protestors threatened that if all these issues, including clean and hygienic food, 24x7 water and electricity, proper Wi-Fi, repaired rooms, and clean premises, are not resolved within 72 hours, MNS will ensure that the college principal, dean, and administration face daily inconvenience and will make it difficult for them to function on campus.

Meanwhile, when FPJ contacted Registrar DN Sonawane, he did not respond and tried to evade answers regarding the issues.