Universities across city ban chicken, eggs in hostel mess

HYDERABAD: Universities in the city have taken chicken and egg off their student mess menu following the bird flu outbreak, despite medical advice against such a move.
While chicken and eggs are provided to students once a week in most state and central universities in the city, the dish will not be served for a considerable period of time in hostel messes, varsity authorities said on Tuesday.
As all universities had a holiday on Tuesday due to Ambedkar Jayanti, authorities said that orders banning chicken and eggs will be issued on Wednesday. “We will send out a circular to all mess in-charges on Tuesday asking them to stop serving chicken once a week,“ said D Sriramulu, chief warden, Osmania University. den, Osmania University .
In OU, mutton and chicken are provided once a week in their hostel messes. The varsity authorities have also sought the service of doctors on campus to spread awareness of flu among students.
Other universities, in cluding Maulana Azad National Urdu Uni versity (Manuu) and English and Foreign Languages University are also expected to do away with chicken dishes for more than a week.
University of Hyderabad (UoH) authorities informed that a similar order banning chicken in messes will be sent out on Wednesday . “Hostel wardens and mess in-charges will be asked to ban chicken off the menu for a few weeks,“ said G Nagaraju, chief warden, UoH.
In UoH, chicken, egg and fish are served in the hostel messes usually. Doctors and medical experts, however, maintained that individuals and institutions need not panic as properly cooked poultry will not contain the virus.