Safety regulations: 6 months on, only 7 pvt hostels in city operate with licence

After hidden cameras were found in one of the hostels in the city last year, the Social Welfare Department had announced that it would set up working women hostels throughout the state. But, it has been over six months since the announcement and the regulations remain only on paper.

Although there are 28 registered working women hostels owned by the State Social Welfare Department, it is mostly occupied by the poor. Hence, with the announcement, the department wanted to set up safe accommodation facilities for working women across all economic sections.

While hostels for women continue to mushroom across Chennai, they lack basic amenities, security provisions and many of them do not even have the required licence. 

The regulations ordering mandatory registration of the hostels in the city remain only on paper with around 35 hostels, including seven in Chennai, having been issued a licence.

While more than 1,000 hostels had applied for registrations in the city, only 35 hostels, including seven in Chennai, were issued licences and 47 others hostels are functioning with provisional licences. The State Social Welfare Department and Greater Chennai Corporation were to conduct a survey on the number of working women hostels in the city, but the process has not begun yet.

“The hostel owners were not notified by the Corporation or the Social Welfare Department so they remain unaware of the new regulations to register and re-register every three years after getting the licence. 

Since obtaining a licence involves a long application procedure, the validation of the licence should at least be extended for five years from three years,” says S Manoharan, a member of Chennai Hostel Owners Welfare Association.

While various women hostels have put up fancy advertisements on various e-commerce sites such as Sulekha, 99 acres, Nobroker and JustDial, they fail to provide basic facilities such as medical kits, lifts and CCTV cameras.

“I was allotted a room on the third floor and the hostel does not even have lifts,” D Riya, a hostel resident in Nungambakkam.

“While this is a basic facility for convenience, the quality of food served there was extremely poor. I have been living in Chennai for more than five years and have changed more than five hostels, but am yet to find the ideal one. There’s always some problem with all of them,” she said.

The hostel residents complain that though the hostel owners charge exorbitant rates but do not even give a proper receipt. Most of the women complained about their hostels being overcrowded with about eight people being made to stay in a 400 sq ft room.

“Not only do we share rooms, but in my hostel, two bathrooms are shared by ten occupants. The rooms hardly have any place to walk around and can only accommodate two or three cots,” said Monica Raja, a hostel resident in Ekkatuthangal.

“I don’t know if there are any regulations to control such hostels, but if they are introduced, many hostels, like mine, will be under the scanner,” she said.

As per the guidelines set up for the functioning of the women hostels in the Tamil Nadu, installation of CCTV cameras, round-the-clock security guards and appointment of women wardens for every hostel were made mandatory. 

These facilities, however, are listed only as special amenities in a few of the women hostels, while most of them do not follow the guidelines at all.

“Most of the hostels are owned by local residents and tenants are assured of authorised wardens. Although they have curfews and restrictions on visitors, wardens and tenant’s security is not a concern for most hostel owners,” says Viji, a hostel resident in Tambaram.

As per the regulations, the appointment of warden is supposed to be made after obtaining a conduct certificate and fitness certificate, while district police personnel were instructed to visit these hostels at least once a month. The guidelines also mandate identity cards for all the security guards and wardens, however, various hostels in the city function without a warden. 

Even four months after the deadline, a majority of hostels remain unregistered and no action has been initiated by the authorities.

As per the rules, those who do not possess a licence to run a hostel shall be punishable with imprisonment up to two years and a fine up to Rs 50,000. But, Social Welfare Department director V Amuthavalli said that the action would be initiated soon in collaboration with the district police and district Collectorate office against those who operate hostels without their licences.