The Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department is set to renovate and facelift some of the hostels under its administrative control at a cost of ₹100 crore this year and allocated ₹80 crore for constructing additional buildings at the existing accommodation facilities.
According to official sources, there are 1,331 Adi Dravidar welfare hostels under the administrative control of the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare. This includes 837 boys hostels and 494 girls hostels located near schools, colleges, Industrial Training Institutes, and polytechnic colleges, benefitting nearly 98,000 students. Of these, 81 hostels are functioning in rented premises.
Some of these hostels lack adequate infrastructure facilities and continue to be in poor condition. The buildings constructed years ago are crumbling with damaged flooring and equipment. Assessing the condition of these hostels, the State government decided to facelift these hostels functioning in its own buildings by carrying out repair works, sources said.
G. Laxmi Priya, Secretary, Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, said the State government sanctioned ₹100 crore for renovating some of these hostels on a priority basis. The focus would be on improving the living conditions of these hostels and ensuring adequate drinking water and sanitation facilities were available for students. Tenders would be called for renovation by this month and the repair works would be completed in six months, she said.
Further, the State government also allocated ₹80 crore for constructing additional buildings in seven hostels located in Chennai, Dindigul, Coimbatore and in a few other districts. Old structures would be demolished and new buildings with modern facilities would be built. The department also converted 49 school hostels into college hostels, she added.