No room in hostel, two SC girls travel 110 km to college in TN

Staff had allowed the two to stay in the hostel on humanitarian grounds, but they were sent out based on an order directing hostels not to accommodate more students than the prescribed limit.
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KRISHNAGIRI: Two girls from the scheduled castes community studying first-year in government arts college for women here have been travelling over 200 km (110 km one way) every day since October due to lack of space in the Adi Dravidar welfare hostel.

Staff had allowed the two to stay in the hostel on humanitarian grounds, but they were sent out based on an order directing hostels not to accommodate more students than the prescribed limit.

S Megana (19), a resident of Urigam in Thalli block, told TNIE that the staff of the Adi Dravidar welfare hostel allowed her to stay in the facility until October. However, the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department had issued an order not to allow her to stay over the prescribed limit, following which she was sent out. Megana’s classmate Pooja from Kottayur panchayat in Thalli block is also staying with her relative in Banashankari.

“My father is a daily wage earner. After being sent out of the hostel in October, I am staying in a relative’s house at Banashankari in Karnataka. We two attend college after travelling 110 km. We have to change three buses and it takes over two hours to reach the college.

We spend around Rs 150 on bus fare for one trip. Due to the distance, I am unable to concentrate on studies and my health is also affected,” she said. She added that the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare department has told her to approach them after one or two months.

When TNIE raised the issue with collector KM Sarayu, she said the students will have to wait for the hostel construction to be completed, which may take at least two months.

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