Leaving their children to study and built a bright future in the education hub of state Indore, lakhs of parents are most bothered by the lack of security and disaster handling capacity of the hostels here.
A grand hostel charging over Rs 12k per month from a student or a budgeted one charging about Rs 7k from a student, most hostels in both the categories are failing to have a combat plan in case of fire.
There is a difference in terms of increased facilities like air conditioning or proper flooring, but the congesting continues in most hostels. With major issues and business-minded approach to hostels, students coming to Indore for studies struggle for accommodations.
Geeta Bhawan, Bhawarkuan, Vishnupuri, Inderpuri, Vijay Nagar, Palasia, Mahalaxmi nagar and Sapna Sangeeta nagar are stuffed with such hostels.
Lack of ventilation
Most hostels have closed down rooms approximately measuring 10 feet by 10 feet. At least two students are expected to stay in these closed rooms with no ventilation.
Students lack any access to fresh air or an escape during emergencies. Unlike the rule for most buildings, where an elevator is must over three floors, most hostels are having about five floors and no elevators.
Lack of fire safety equipments
Barely any hostels in the city have fire safety equipments. None of them have considered installing fire alarms or sprinklers.
Not even doing the bare minimum, these hostels have no fire extinguishers. When it comes to having an escape route, there is barely any space for students to move around in the hostel.
The congested establishments have only one staircase in hundreds of students staying in the hostel. There is no fire safety exit.
Most hostels have not even bothered to have a fire escape plan. Even in case of smoke, many students can lose their life in the congested rooms with no air ventilation.
Compulsory to have ‘Unsafe’ food
A common complaint from students is unhealthy and unsafe food provided by mess in hostels. Not even given a choice, students are forced to pay and have the same ‘unsafe’ food.
“It is common to find worms in the stale food provided in hostel mess, but our parents do not want to leave us in other accommodations as we have no relatives in the city,” a group of female students residing in Mahalaxmi nagar said.
Non-compliance to rules
The rules guiding hostels are quite similar to commercial buildings. Though they are no enough considering residing students, not even these regulations are taken seriously by hostels.
High threat area with large commercial kitchen
Having a commercial kitchen running in the same premise as residing students makes hostels a high threat area for fire. However, these hostels are closed down spaces, where generally kitchens are running in basement or ground floor. In event of a fire, students will have no escape as there is no emergency fire exit.
Regular Inspection? Female students denied
Last year, after a case was reported where 20-year-old deaf and mute tribal inmate was raped. Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said, "I have taken a meeting of the officials concerned and directed them to conduct monthly inspections of such (state) aided and unaided facilities where girls are residing.”
Further, it was noted that inspection will be carried out by the collector and superintendent of police in each district on a monthly basis.
"Rules will be framed for private hostels, too, to ensure girls remain safe there. Such incidents are very painful and already the accused person has been arrested," Chouhan had said.
A grand hostel charging over Rs 12k per month from a student or a budgeted one charging about Rs 7k from a student, most hostels in both the categories are failing to have a combat plan in case of fire.
There is a difference in terms of increased facilities like air conditioning or proper flooring, but the congesting continues in most hostels. With major issues and business-minded approach to hostels, students coming to Indore for studies struggle for accommodations.
Geeta Bhawan, Bhawarkuan, Vishnupuri, Inderpuri, Vijay Nagar, Palasia, Mahalaxmi nagar and Sapna Sangeeta nagar are stuffed with such hostels.
Lack of ventilation
Most hostels have closed down rooms approximately measuring 10 feet by 10 feet. At least two students are expected to stay in these closed rooms with no ventilation.
Students lack any access to fresh air or an escape during emergencies. Unlike the rule for most buildings, where an elevator is must over three floors, most hostels are having about five floors and no elevators.
Lack of fire safety equipments
Barely any hostels in the city have fire safety equipments. None of them have considered installing fire alarms or sprinklers.
Not even doing the bare minimum, these hostels have no fire extinguishers. When it comes to having an escape route, there is barely any space for students to move around in the hostel.
The congested establishments have only one staircase in hundreds of students staying in the hostel. There is no fire safety exit.
Most hostels have not even bothered to have a fire escape plan. Even in case of smoke, many students can lose their life in the congested rooms with no air ventilation.
Compulsory to have ‘Unsafe’ food
A common complaint from students is unhealthy and unsafe food provided by mess in hostels. Not even given a choice, students are forced to pay and have the same ‘unsafe’ food.
“It is common to find worms in the stale food provided in hostel mess, but our parents do not want to leave us in other accommodations as we have no relatives in the city,” a group of female students residing in Mahalaxmi nagar said.
Non-compliance to rules
The rules guiding hostels are quite similar to commercial buildings. Though they are no enough considering residing students, not even these regulations are taken seriously by hostels.
- · ‘Gumasta’ licence: Like every other small or large business, hostels are required to have trade ‘Gumasta’ licence that allows them to have an official account.
- · Food and Drug licence: Since, hostels generally have a mess and are having commercial use of kitchen. It is must for them to have a food and drug licence.
- · Fire NOC: Using the building as a commercial building, every hostel must have fire NOC.
- · Local Thane information and police verification: Hostels are ideally required to send information to local thane and get police verification of every student residing.
High threat area with large commercial kitchen
Having a commercial kitchen running in the same premise as residing students makes hostels a high threat area for fire. However, these hostels are closed down spaces, where generally kitchens are running in basement or ground floor. In event of a fire, students will have no escape as there is no emergency fire exit.
Regular Inspection? Female students denied
Last year, after a case was reported where 20-year-old deaf and mute tribal inmate was raped. Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said, "I have taken a meeting of the officials concerned and directed them to conduct monthly inspections of such (state) aided and unaided facilities where girls are residing.”
Further, it was noted that inspection will be carried out by the collector and superintendent of police in each district on a monthly basis.
"Rules will be framed for private hostels, too, to ensure girls remain safe there. Such incidents are very painful and already the accused person has been arrested," Chouhan had said.