HYDERABAD: State government’s lack of support for disabled welfare department is making lives of visually challenged students residing in government hostels miserable.
The government men’s hostel for college students at Asmangadh, near Malakpet, plunged into darkness for two days as power supply was cut to the hostel on Monday due to non-payment of electricity bills pending for the past few years.
One of the hostel inmates said, “As power supply was cut, the motor could not be switched and we did not get water in our bathrooms. It was very tough as we tried to get some water from the sump with help of those who can see. Due to lack of power, we could not even charge our phones to call someone and complain about it. Earlier this month, power was disconnected for a day.”
The disabled welfare department has six hostels for the visually challenged in Hyderabad and in every hostel, there are issues pertaining to pending electricity and water bills, which are not being paid on time because of lack of money.
According to sources, around Rs 3 lakh of the electricity bill is yet to be paid.
The disabled welfare department in Hyderabad is yet to get the final quarter payment of the year amounting to Rs 10 lakh from the state government.
The hostel does not have a separate warden. A female warden of a girl’s hostel for visually challenged school has been given charge of men’s hostel.
An official of the disabled welfare department said, “As electricity bills are due, we got permission to pay bills by February 22 after we approached Hyderabad district collector, Rahul Bojja who wrote a letter to the CMD of TSSPDCL regarding it. The CMD gave us permission. Local power officials were informed regarding it but still, they cut the power supply. Only on Tuesday night, the power was restored.”