All India SC/ST Employees Welfare Associations Confederation: Team studying facilities in Adi-Dravidar hostels

Friday, December 31, 2010

Team studying facilities in Adi-Dravidar hostels

As of now, the team has covered 11 hostels, including the M.C. Raja hostel
In a week, it will complete the study and submit its findings to the government

Days after inmates of the M.C. Raja Adi-Dravidar Students Hostel in Saidapet organised a protest on Anna Salai here on December 20, blocking vehicular traffic for several hours, a six-member team of officials is making a study of the status of facilities in 21 hostels of Adi-Dravidar students.

As of now, the team has covered 11 hostels, including the M.C. Raja hostel. In a week, it will complete the study and submit its findings to the government, according to Vishwanath A. Shegaonkar, Principal Secretary (Adi-Dravidar and Tribal Welfare). Of the 21 hostels, eight are meant for women, and all of these have been covered. The sanctioned strength of inmates of these hostels is about 2,500.
[The inmates of the M.C. Raja Hostel had protested against, what they claimed, indifference of officials to their plea for improvement of the facilities].

The team, comprising a joint director of the Adi-Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department and engineers of the Tamil Nadu Adi-Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO), is assessing the requirements of the hostels.

The Principal Secretary says the government, which is keen on upgrading the conditions of the hostels, is receptive to the idea of setting apart more funds. Already, the government has sanctioned Rs. 61 lakh for the construction of a women's hostel in Vepery.

Totally, there are 1,229 hostels for Adi-Dravidar students, numbering 90,000. Of these, 185 hostels are accommodated in private properties. The government has sanctioned Rs. 12.5 crore for constructing buildings that will accommodate 25 hostels. The TAHDCO will shortly float bids.
This year, a sum of Rs. 4 crore has been earmarked for carrying out maintenance works.

Sources in the department admit that the problem of overstaying students is more rampant in the hostels of Adi-Dravidar students than in those of Backward Classes or Most Backward Classes. In the hostels of Adi-Dravidar students, the problem is more present among boys. A number of factors, including homogenous character of the community and predominantly rural background of students with no persons in Chennai to fall back, have contributed to the problem.
Source: The Hindu Dated 30.12.2010.

The Dravidian parties are never bothering about the living condition of SC/ST students in government Hostel. The funds allotted under Schedule caste sub plan and Schedule tribal sub plan are being diverted to popular schemes such as free TV ,Gas,free dhoties ,sarees and construction of concrete houses or utilized for the purpose of constructing college building with this fund. The students’ hostels neglected by minister and bureaucrats, The caste media are afraid of visiting hostel because of its worst condition. The Dravidian parties are vying each other to construct and maintain memorials for farmer leaders of DMK and AIADMK they never have any heart and soul over the conditions of living SC/STs students. The conditions of hostels are never fit for living. The following pictures will show the sorry state of SC/ST hostels in Chennai City.