Dhaka, June 22 -- "I no longer eat from the hall canteen because the food is unhygienic. It's difficult, but I cook for myself. The condition of the food in the hall canteen is so poor that anyone used to home-cooked meals wouldn't be able to tolerate it. Students only eat there out of sheer necessity," said Umme Habiba Preeti, a student of the Public Administration Department at the University of Dhaka.

Preeti is a second-year residential student at Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall.

Her experience is not unique-students from almost every hall at Dhaka University share similar grievances.

For residential students at DU, canteen is the source of daily meals. The university subsidises gas, water, and electricity for these cantee...