There are more than 500 girl’s hostels in the city and it is quite alarming that no private hostel have a security guard or a watchman, leaving the inmates at higher risk.
Amid the crime against women are on rise, the inmates are at higher risk of getting attacked by miscreants and psychopaths. The private hostels which are mostly run by unemployed couples have become a good source of income and are flooded with series of problems, including security concerns. All these hostels have been de-recognised by the government and are being run illegally.
In an incident on Monday in SR Nagar area where a psychopath stalker assaulted an inmate leaving her drenched in blood, calls for an immediate action by the police and the State Government. In some parts of the city, girls’ hostels are located near to the boys’ hostels.
SR Nagar police station is just a stone’s throw away, but police did nothing to stop stalkers, “why the police are not taking action against such culprits“, asks a student.
Illegal private hostels proliferate all over Ameepet, SR Nagar, Vidya Nagar, Kamala Nagar, Begumpet, Yousufguda, Dilsukhnagar, Himayathnagar, Tarnaka, Mehdipatnam areas. “With five girls sharing a small room, there is hardly any place to study and to move about. I have no choice other than stay here as I cannot afford a double or a triple share rooms.
These hostels charge about 3000 to 5000 per student for a room shared by 4 to 5 students with an unpalatable food. All these inconvenience aside, however, in the face of lack of safety on the hostel premises. Miscreants have been regularly intruding into the girl’s hostel, creating panic among boarders.
On an average, hostel owners make business anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh per month. A new norms by EFLU last year made it mandatory for girl students to return to hostels by 11 p.m. unless they have prior permission.
“All the hostels are run illegally with security at lax. We have questioned few hostel owners and asked them to take safety measures or otherwise put the shutters down to their business,” the SR Nagar police officer said.