Overcrowding, poor hygiene plague hostels for backward class students in Karnataka: House panel | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: The govt-run matric and post-matric hostels for backward class (BC) students across the state are overcrowded, have inadequate facilities and lack security, according to a report by a joint House committee of the Karnataka legislature.In its report submitted last week, the panel exposed the grim condition of these hostels. Rooms meant for five students were often packed with seven or more, it said and flagged the absence of proper monitoring mechanisms at several boys’ hostels.A shortage of funds severely hampered the management and upkeep of the hostels, which currently accommodate 2.7 lakh students from backward communities, the committee stated in its report and added that poor hygiene and inadequate security were recurring issues.The social welfare department operates 2,504 hostels across Karnataka. A sharp increase in the number of students over the years has created a severe accommodation crisis, making it increasingly difficult to provide hostel facilities, officials of the backward classes welfare department admitted to the committee.During their interaction with the committee, the department officials acknowledged their helplessness over unhygienic conditions and compromised security in these hostels.“Normally, girls’ hostels have watchmen. But in boys’ hostels, there is no such system. We do not know who enters or exits. Some hostels have even turned into drug peddlers’ centres. We have neither wardens nor watchmen,” the report quoted the officials as testifying.Sanitation facilities are equally dire. The govt allocates just Rs 1,000 per month for toilet cleaning, an amount too meagre to attract sanitation workers. “Sometimes, when students are asked to clean toilets, they record videos and post them online, causing controversy. The govt also provides only Rs 500 for phenyl, bleaching powder, soap, and detergents, which is grossly inadequate for maintaining 10–12 toilets used by 50–60 students,” these officials told the committee.Major educational hubs worst hitThe problem is most acute in major educational centres such as Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Davanagere, Belagavi, and Kalaburagi. “With more rural students moving to urban areas for better education, the demand for hostels has soared. Getting hostel admission in these hubs is nearly impossible. Even though Rs 15,000 a year is given under the Vidyasiri programme as rental allowance, students struggle to find affordable rooms within a 5km radius,” the report stated. Only about 70% of applicants can secure hostel accommodation.Officials also revealed that although the govt sanctioned 150 new hostels, only 62 have been approved. In the meantime, the department has been forced to manage with limited funds, often cramming seven students into rooms meant for five. “At this point, if we can even secure a place for our students to eat and sleep, it feels like a miracle,” an official told the committee. Adding to the problem, out of the 1,297 sanctioned posts at these hostels, including those of wardens, only 444 (34%) have been filled to date.———Box:Key recommendations– Revise funding and fill vacant posts to ensure proper management– Provide hostel facility to all students rather than paying them Rs 15,000/year under Vidyasiri due to high rentals in urban localities– Increase toilet cleaning funds from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000/month– Mandatory recruitment of a warden in every hostel and hiring services of watchmen