20-hostel plan: 12 functional in 2 decades

In 1999,permission was given to construct 20 hostels in the state. Now only 12 are functioning.

A committee was to be formed for overlooking working of these hostels under the chairmanship of the Higher Education director,but so far,no such committee has been formed,said officials. “The hostel in Pune district was proposed in 1993,” said an official from the Higher Education Department.

These hostels are for girl students whose parents earn below Rs 1 lakh a year. All government’s reservation policy is applied while selecting students for the hostel. “These hostels are especially important for financially weaker girl students belonging to poor background. There is a tendency among parents to not spend much on education of the girl child. But the Higher Education Department has understood the importance of a government girls hostel in the state. We will build 9 new hostels for girls and these will be owned as well as run by the government,” added the official.

The new hostel in Pune will come up near Deccan College said officials. “We will hold a meeting with the trustees of Deccan College soon over land issues. We are hopeful that we will get a positive response. As soon as land is acquired,we will send a proposal to the government and construction will begin,” said PR Gaikwad,Director,Higher Education.