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| Food list of students in the mess is getting smaller day by day |
Nurul Islam Asad;
Divisional Bureau Chief:
Every year thousands of students migrate to big cities including the capital Dhaka from different parts of the country after finishing high school. These students leave their families in the hope of higher education. Besides, many people leave their families and try to settle in new destinations even before high school. In these cities, the students who do not have a place to stay, settle in hostels or messes.
Talking to the students staying in the hostel-mes, it is known that when they leave their families and migrate to big cities including Dhaka, many of them have no place to settle. As a result, these students are messing around in different houses. Some of these students bring money from their families to run mess expenses. However, most students run mess expenses through tuition or part-time jobs.
Meanwhile, as the prices of daily necessities are constantly increasing, the mess life of these students has also been affected. As a result, extra money has to be paid for mess rent, electricity bill, water bill and food. In such a situation, they have to struggle to balance their accounts at the end of the month. Surviving and studying in the new city has become a challenge for many as the 'mess life' has been strained by rising commodity prices. Unable to find the means, many have started to reduce the list of food.
Due to the price, after the cow, the chicken is on the way to be left out of the list. As the price of rui-katla fish has gone out of reach, these students have to rely on pangas, tilapia or small rui (tube) fish. But as the price of these fish is increasing, the students in the capital Dhaka are trying to survive by eating less.
The students in the mess in Dhaka said that the house owner has also increased the rent due to the increase in the price of daily necessities. As a result, a large amount of money is currently going towards their house rent. It is not possible to reduce this cost at will. Which has an impact on the daily food list. For this reason, they are trying to manage the additional cost by reducing the cost of food. They are trying to figure out how to cut the food list further.
Mizanur Rahman, a student of Jagannath University, lives in a flat in Banglabazar with 9 members. He said that people from the remote areas of the country have to come to Dhaka for any need, be it job or education. Being away from their families, most of them temporarily live in different messes of the capital. These bachelors live in messes as the cost is somewhat lower due to many people staying together. As the cost of food for everyone in the mess has gone up with the recent rise in commodity prices, so has the seat fare (accommodation cost).
He said, nine of us live in a flat. Whereas earlier our meal rate per month (cost of food per day) was 35 taka; In the last month, it stood at 53 taka. Earlier I used to buy an egg for 8 taka. But now it is 13 taka, earlier broiler chicken was bought at 130 taka but now it has to be bought at 190 taka. Earlier beef was bought at 600 taka per kg but now it has to be bought at 800 taka. Moreover, we are facing various problems due to rise in prices of essential commodities such as rice, gas, house rent, oil.
Mehdi Hasan Limon, a student of Shaheed Suhrawardy College in the mess in Old Dhaka, said, "Earlier we used to keep fish or chicken curry along with pulses and vegetables in our mess every night. But the increase in the prices of daily necessities has now brought it down to a level. Whereas earlier the meal rate was between Tk 30-40, now the meal rate is above Tk 50 even after reducing the food category. Sometimes you have to pass the day with an egg. Earlier mills could be run easily with cotton fish. But due to the increase in the price of cotton, now we have to rely on tilapia or tube fish.
Rahman, a fourth-year student of Jagannath University, said that due to the increase in commodity prices, the volume of the market has already decreased. I am eating and drinking less. It is not possible to market more than necessary to minimize costs. Where earlier beef or chicken was used as protein for most of the month, it is now fish or eggs. Vegetables are the only hope every day.
Another student named Akash said that as fish, roo fish used to be bought more. It is not possible anymore. Mills have to be bought and reeded. If you want to buy Rui fish, it is more than 300 kg, I got only these 2 fish at a low price. We need to eat and survive, so we are running the mill with Nala or Pangas fish. But as the price of these fish has also increased, the size of the piece has to be reduced.
A student named Sajjad said, we have to go by tuition. Tuition's salary is the same as before, not increased. But food prices have already increased. Most millets go away with eggs. Sometimes buying pangash fish is also extra expensive. Tuition makes it difficult to market with so much money.
The life of the students living in the big cities of different parts of the country including the capital Dhaka is almost the same. Along with male students, female students are suffering more problems.
The government can hear the cries of thousands of students looking at the hostels. Even for us, reduce the price a little, we want to eat and live a little better.