Non-veg food back on Ambedkar University canteen menu after 4 months after demands for ‘diverse’ items

After the launch of the new canteen at Delhi’s Ambedkar University last October, students who preferred non-vegetarian food were dismayed to find no non-vegetarian items, including eggs, on the menu.

Ambedkar University’s canteen began serving non-vegetarian food on its Kashmere Gate campus on Monday, after having stopped doing so for nearly four months.

Kailash Chauhan, whose firm runs the canteen at the Kashmere Gate campus of Ambedkar University, said they have now included non-vegetarian items after students demanded those. (Shutterstock / Photo used for representational purpose)

After the launch of the new canteen last October, students who preferred non-vegetarian food were dismayed to find no non-vegetarian items, including eggs, on the menu. “The cafeteria committee members demanded that food items should be diverse and include non-vegetarian items. We were then assured that the menu would be revised,” student councillor Sruti MD, a PhD scholar, said.

“The breakfast menu became very limited for those who did not want to eat paranthas and wanted bread and omelettes,” Sruti said, adding that the previous contractor for the canteen had included non-vegetarian items.

“The canteen associates initially said they wanted to start by providing basic vegetarian food, which does not require much refrigeration,” Sayandeb Chowdhury, a faculty representative in the canteen committee, said.

“After the three-month probation period and feedback, we asked them to serve non-vegetarian food and that process has started. It was not an embargo as such,” he said.

Kailash Chauhan, whose firm runs the canteen, said the initial online tender released by the university included only vegetarian items. “We have now included non-vegetarian items after students demanded those,” he said.

“Chicken and eggs were introduced in the menu on Monday and the quality of food has been okay so far, but we still don’t know how regular it will be,” Aritra Basu, a postgraduate student at the university, said.

Professor Satyaketu Sanskrit, convener of the canteen committee, denied the administration’s role and said students decide what food they want.

When asked why there was no non-vegetarian food since October 2018, he said, “People should live in the present and talk about the present instead of the past.”