To ensure safety and security of women and children living in hostels, a public interest litigation petition filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday called for the State to effectively implement ‘The Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act, 2014’.
In his petition, K.Kathiresan of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said that job opportunities had pushed women to bigger cities. Private hostels have started mushrooming to accommodate them. But there has been no check on basic and safety amenities at these places.
So, the State government passed ‘The Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act, 2014.’ Licensing and registration of hostels with a register of the District Collectors was made mandatory under the Act. Any person desiring to establish lodging facilities shall obtain a Stability and Sanitation Certificate from the Public Works Department and Fire and Rescue Services Department, he said. The petitioner said that there have been instances were such certificates were obtained through fraudulent means. Citing an example of a ladies hostel in Tiruchi, he said the owner in the guise of renovation had installed spy cameras in bedrooms. Though the man behind the act was arrested, such crime against women has increased. He sought a direction to enforce the Act effectively, ask Collectors to look into violations and look into issue of bribe being accepted for issue of certificates.
A Division Bench of Justices K.K.Sasidharan and P.D.Audikesavalu directed notice to the State and adjourned the case for further hearing by two weeks.