Hygiene and safety least concern of private hostels

SR Nagar: "The place stinks, the flush does not work, the cleaners do not come on time and the leftover food is not cleared. We are three in one room. Even basic facilities are not provided, and fire alarms are least on the agenda of owners," says Madhavi, a pharma student at a hostel in SR Nagar.

In the last few years, SR Nagar has turned into a hub for hostels with students not just from neighbouring districts but also from other states studying various courses in the city.

Students who do not wish to share with more than one person shells out Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per month. Shailender K, who has joined for a six month computer course says, "Most hostels are cramped and there is no provision for escape in case of a fire accident."

Sitting on a bed in a cluttered room with hardly any space to move, Mansi Lalwani who stays in Parameshwari Hostel says, "The room that we live in, if you've noticed, is a shack that we have added on. We extended with zinc to make more space. There are six of us living here – two adults who work and four are college going students.

It's really tough to adjust six people in a room but we have no other option, fares would be higher to go for single sharing rooms and attached bathrooms." There is only one toilet available for the whole floor for all the 7 rooms, where around 29 people stay in a floor and all of us had to share this single washroom which has two rooms one for washing clothes and other for toilets, she added.

"We really cannot eat food in the mess due to unhygienic conditions in the cooking area and insects and flies hover around the food," says an occupant of Sri Sai Hostel in SR Nagar. Air-conditioned hostels are better in terms of basic facilities like washrooms and drinking water. "Hostels are better, if we pay better money.

I used to stay in other hostel where they charged only 3,500 per month but it was worst experience with untidy rooms and quality less food in that hostel, sometimes the other roommates make noise in late nights which disrupts my sound sleep, after complaining several times to the hostel owner there was no action taken, so, I had to move to this Varalaxmi AC Hostel expecting cleanliness and paying 10,500 for three sharing," says Keerthi, a fashion designer.

According to the GHMC regulations, hostels should have a trade licence which mandates several facilities, but there has been no survey to identify the actual number of hostels in the city.