law students of the Delhi University on Thursday created a ruckus outside the Arts Faculty in North Campus after they caught water contractors selling dirty tap water to students from labelled cans. The issue was immediately brought to the notice of the DU administration which blacklisted the contractor from all business with the university.
Students alleged that the salesman at the counter opposite Arts Faculty was filling water into cans from the tap located in the garden outside the Conference Centre used to water plants. The university had verbally hired a contractor, one Ahuja Waters, to provide water to students throughout the campus during admissions. The salesmen at these counters were selling water on per bottle basis, where students could come and fill their bottles for a certain price. However, at one of the counters near the Arts Faculty, once the packaged water was consumed, Anil Jain, a salesman, started filling water from a tap located in a garden nearby. Students of law caught the salesman in the act and created a scene.
Vikas Kumar Verma, a final year student of llB said, “At first when we asked the man to stop filling water from the garden, he started threatening us by saying that he was a university employee. The Maurice Nagar police also intervened but the salesman still refused to move away. Then we went and called university officials who were around. They called the chief executive engineer of DU, Rajendra Singh, who came and took control of the matter.”
Singh asked Jain for a justification as to why he was serving students dirty water and consequently dismissed all the contracts of the contracting company with the university. “I have ensured that all the kiosks set up by this contractor are removed immediately and all existing contracts under the name of this company be dismissed. We cannot compromise with the health of students,” said Singh.
The university will now be serving packaged glass water to students from Friday. “I have already spoken another water contractor who will bring packaged glass water from tomorrow so that there is no scope of mixing dirty water,” informed Singh.
Students also complained that the library in the Faculty of law also served contaminated water. However, with the cancellation of all contracts with this company the situation should be better. Abhi Pratap, another final year student of llB said, “We have complained several times about the water being given inside the campus but no action has been taken. We are happy that finally the administration has realised what dirt they have been selling in the name of packaged water.”