KOCHI: Women who migrate to other cities in search of jobs will no longer have to worry about finding safe accommodations since the Finance Minister has allocated a huge amount in the Budget for the construction of hostels.The minister announced the construction of working women’s hostels and short stay homes in each district with the help of the Centre’s aid. Among the districts, luck seemed to favour Ernakulam with it getting additional lodging facilities for the women.
The Finance Minister has earmarked Rs 4 crore to construct ‘she lodges’ in the district. Hence, once the project gets rolling, Kochi will have two shelters exclusively for women since the Corporation is already working on a project to convert the Libra hotel on Paramara road into a night hostel.
“The Corporation has initiated the steps needed to convert Libra Hotel into a shelter for women. Apprehensions over GST had delayed the project launch. With the government coming up with a project to build accommodation facility for women, they will be able to easily find safe and financially feasible shelters in the city,” said Mayor Soumini Jain.
Meanwhile, funds have been allocated to construct public toilets for women. “The government always stands for women safety. Around Rs 1,267 crore has been allocated for women welfare. Compared to the previous Budgets, this is the highest allocation made for women. Since a lot of women are coming to the city for jobs, new lodges exclusively for women will be a blessing,” said K J Antony, Kochi Corporation Opposition leader.