Hyderabad: A Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) outlet was reopened on February 8, at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus amid strong dissent by student unions.
The act of opening the CCD branch displayed “absolute apathy towards the marginalised students of the university,” said the Students’ Federation of India (SFI).
The letter expressed that an expensive cafe would divide the students into those who can afford the pricey coffees and those who cannot, bringing about class divides among the students. The SFI called this a condemnable and discriminatory measure on the administration’s part.
“We have already informed them not to open corporate branches on the campus, and submitted a letter to the Registrar of the University on February 9 regarding the same,” said UoH SFI secretary, Siva Durga Rao while speaking to Siasat.com.
Siva has said that the Basic Amenities Committee takes all decisions regarding eateries and the committee provided a green signal for the opening of the outlet on February 8 even though the SFI and other student unions have been asking the administration to cancel this.
The letter also mentions that many canteens were closed during the lockdown and have not been reopened yet. Despite the pressure from the Students’ Union the canteens near the North Ladies Hostel, F-Hostel and GOPS have remained closed since the beginning of the pandemic.
SFI has said that the CCD outlet has to be closed down and the administration must focus on reopening canteens that would be affordable for all students to ensure inclusivity.
