CAG flags ghost hostels, poor infrastructure and safety lapses in Maharashtra student hostels

A Comptroller and Auditor General CAG audit has highlighted widespread shortcomings in Maharashtras governmentrun and governmentaided student hostels citing inadequate infrastructure safety lapses financial irregularities and the existence of nonfunctional hostels that continued to receive government fundingThe findings are part of the CAGs report for 2024 which was tabled in the Maharashtra Legislature on July 10 The audit covered the period from 2022 to 2024 and included physical inspections of 18 government hostels and 21 governmentaided hostels across the stateAs of March 2024 Maharashtra had 443 governmentrun and 2388 governmentaided hostels accommodating 121971 boys and 40543 girls During the audit period the state spent Rs 2321 crore on these facilitiesAudit finds shortage of basic infrastructureThe CAG found that several hostels lacked essential amenities required for students welfare and academic development Missing facilities included dining halls libraries computer laboratories CCTV surveillance systems daily newspapers televisions and power backup through invertersThe report also noted that regular medical checkups for students were largely absentAt four hostels students were forced to eat while sitting on the floor because dining tables and chairs were unavailable while some hostels did not even have dedicated dining areasThe audit further highlighted deficiencies in basic services including inadequate washrooms poorquality food insufficient lighting lack of clean drinking water and the absence of the mandatory onemonth reserve stock of food grainsAccessibility and safety norms not followedThe report pointed to violations of accessibility guidelines meant for students with disabilitiesAlthough government rules require differentlyabled students to be accommodated on the ground floor hostels in Moshi Ahmednagar Dharashiv Jat Jalna and Manish Nagar in Nagpur had allotted them rooms on upper floors without providing appropriate accessibility infrastructureThe audit also found that biometric attendance systems were largely nonfunctional Of the 280 government hostels equipped with biometric systems only 46 had functioning attendance mechanisms during the inspectionCAG identifies nonfunctional hostels receiving fundsOne of the audits major findings relates to governmentaided hostels that were found to be nonoperational despite receiving financial assistanceOf the 21 aided hostels inspected six were either permanently locked or still under construction with no students or staff present The CAG classified these as nonfunctional hostels and noted that the Department of Social Justice and Special Assistance had disbursed Rs 162 crore to these institutions over four yearsAmong the cases cited was Modikhan Hostel in Jalna where the building was found locked and in a dilapidated condition despite official records showing 38 students and one superintendent According to the report the state paid Rs 18 lakh in honorariums to the hostel over four yearsSimilarly Jafrabad Hostel built to accommodate 24 students was found to have no occupants with unused beds covered in dust Comparable findings were reported at hostels in Golapangri Belora Sindkhed Raja and LaturVacancies unused funds and unmet targetsThe audit also highlighted administrative shortcomings including unspent allocations and staff shortagesOf the Rs 487 crore allocated for government hostels during the 202324 financial year Rs 5665 crore remained unutilisedThe report said delays in implementing the governments plan to establish at least one hostel in every taluka have left around 8930 students in 117 talukas without hostel facilitiesIn addition 49 government hostels were functioning without superintendents The audit also noted that five girls hostels located in Vashi Ambad Kuhi in Nagpur Khamgaon and Ahmedpur were being managed by male superintendentsHostel expansion plan falls short of targetAccording to the CAG the Maharashtra governments plan to establish 500 government hostels by 2020 has not been achievedThe report said that only 443 government hostels had been established by the target year despite budgetary provisions for expansion It observed that delays in construction and implementation had affected the availability of hostel facilities for students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgroundsWith inputs from IANS