School hostel hits red tape hurdle

Malegaon: The higher and technical education department's plan to shift its existing boys' hostel, which is currently housed in a rented dilapidated three-storied building in Malegaon, to a new location is facing bureaucratic hurdles for over a year now.
The delay is not only putting to risk the lives of over a 100 students lodged in the hostel, but also adding to the cost of the already sanctioned project to build an ultra-modern boys' hostel on a new location.
"We are looking at the government or any donor to provide us 1.5 acre of land to build a state-of-the art hostel," said Archana Borhade, administrative officer of the higher and technical education department, Pune.
Borhade, who was in Malegaon for a selection committee meeting on Tuesday, said a new hostel with a capacity of 200 students, and having modern facilities, playground, gym, reading hall, and a class dining hall to be built at a cost of Rs 5 crore has already been sanctioned. But the construction is getting delayed for non-availability of a suitable land for the purpose.
Borhade further said, "We have identified a government land close to the existing hostel building. However, transfer of this land to the education department is taking too long. In fact, more than a year of follow-ups and bureaucratic hurdles has made all of us jittery. God only knows when this project will see light of the day."
The higher and technical education department owns two hostels in Nashik district. One is for girl-students built at the cost of Rs 3.75 crore in the city, while the other one is the boys' hostel in Malegaon in a rented building. The department is paying a monthly rent of Rs 19, 953 to the owner. Though located at a prime location and close to colleges, the building is in need of urgent maintenance and repair work.
The owner of the building declined to say anything on record. However, his close aide who looks after the maintenance of the building said the rent the department is paying is too low to afford repair work.
"The building is located at a prime location and its rent is more than double of what the department pays us. Maintenance cost in this area is also very high. Under such circumstances, it is very difficult to spend additional money for repair work," the aide said on the condition of anonymity.