Lokayukta teams find zero privacy, poor facilities in Bengaluru's state-run girls hostels

BENGALURU: The three-day simultaneous surprise visit by Lokayukta teams to the 34 state-run hostels in Bengaluru city pointed out how the state authorities are insensitive to the issues of girls, privacy in particular. In a classic instance, in the Post-Matric Backwards Classes Girls Hostel run by the Backwards Classes department at Laggere, there is no privacy since the girls have no rooms to change their clothes and keep their things. The state is paying a rent of Rs 2.30 lakh every month for the four-storey private building being used as a hostel. The Lokayukta was informed by the authorities present that it was impossible to get buildings with separate rooms for hostels, after it was resolved to rent out private buildings without advance money. Among four floors, the ground floor is being used as a reading room by the girls, the first floor as a kitchen and dining hall. The remaining two floors are used to accommodate 50 students each -- on each floor, 25 bunker cots are set up. The girls have to keep their belongings below the cots since no lockers or almirahs are provided. It is also appalling that the girls have no privacy to change their clothes, because there are no separate rooms on the entire floor. Narrating their grievances to Lokayukta Justice BS Patil, the girls told him they experience severe embarrassment when they have to change their clothes. The Lokayukta directed the authorities to immediately make compartments or partitions on the floors to ensure privacy for the girls. In another instance, window panes are not fixed on bathroom windows at the Dr BR Ambedkar Government Post-Matric Girls Hostel run by the Social Welfare department, near Manuvana in Vijayanagar. Drawing the attention of Upa Lokayukta Justice KN Phaneendra during his visit, the girls said it was very embarrassing for them to take a bath, as there is no privacy. Upset with the insensitivity of the authorities, the Upa Lokayukta directed them to fix window panes for bathrooms on priority, or he would write to the state government and recommend immediate action against the errant officials. Meanwhile, Backward Classes department authorities informed the Lokayukta that approval has been given to construct six buildings in Bengaluru North taluk. The 29 teams led by Lokayukta Justice BS Patil, Upa Lokayuktas Justice KN Phaneendra and Justice B Veerappa have been checking irregularities in hostels in the city since November 13. During the inspections, students have narrated their plight, such as unhygienic toilets, expired medicines in the first-aid box, defunct geysers which leave them with neither solar water nor hot water to bathe, lack of libraries and computers, out-of-order fridges, rotten vegetables used for cooking, shortage of food, etc.