Welfare Hostels in Hanumkonda Facing Severe Challenges
Underprivileged students in Hanumkonda district are facing tough conditions due to a lack of proper facilities in welfare hostels. Despite government promises to allocate monthly budgets for student welfare, many hostels are struggling with unpaid bills and a shortage of resources.
Wardens are finding it difficult to manage, as they haven’t been able to pay rent for hostel buildings for the past ten months. This has led some landlords to lock the hostels. Additionally, traders who supply essential items such as vegetables, milk, fruits, and eggs have not been paid. This is causing financial problems and lowering the quality of supplies provided to students.
There are 15 welfare hostels in Hanumkonda district that serve backward-class students. These include six hostels for college students and nine for pre-metric students. In total, 1,314 students stay in these hostels, with 544 pre-metric students and 770 college students. Most of these hostels are in rented buildings, except for the boys’ hostel at Gokul Nagar and two other hostels in Parakala, which are in government-owned buildings.
The six college hostels need around Rs 12 lakh every month to cover expenses, but payments have not been made for eight months, leading to an outstanding bill of Rs 96 lakh. Similarly, the pre-metric hostels have unpaid bills amounting to Rs 60 lakh. Altogether, the debt has reached over Rs 1.5 crore.
Despite these issues, the Deputy Director of Welfare, J Ram Reddy, stated that all necessary facilities are still being provided. He admitted that some bills remain unpaid but assured that the students’ needs are being taken care of.
