Amidst concerns of safety in private women's hostel, the district administration has recently issued a warning to unregistered private women's hostels in Coimbatore district.
District Collector K. Rajamani said on March 4 that all private women's hostels must be registered with the Department of Social Welfare under the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act, 2014. In a release, he warned that owners of unregistered hostels might face a jail term of up to two years and a fine of ₹50,000.
Mr. Rajamani told The Hindu that out of 273 women's hostels in the district, only 120 have registered with the Department of Social Welfare and 53 remain unregistered. The other 100 hostels are in various stages of registration, he said. Among the regular complaints received are sanitation issues, lack of adequate space and irregular water supply, Mr. Rajamani said.
With working women and college students predominantly staying in these hostels, issues of safety continue to remain a concern. On February 28, Saravanampatti police arrested three men who dressed up as policemen and entered a women's hostel in Chinnavedampatti under the pretence of inspection. Upon entering the hostel, the gang 'confiscated' the mobile phones and absconded from the spot. Conceding that a few hostels have petitioned the district administration regarding lack of security guards in the night, Mr. Rajamani said, “We have asked the police to patrol those areas in the night on alternate days.”
District Social Welfare Officer P. Thangamani said that a majority of the 53 unregistered women's hostels across the district are in the city. The private hostels must obtain sanitary certificates, fire safety certificates and stability certificates, which must be renewed annually. The Department of Social Welfare will issue show-cause notices during its inspections in those hostels that have not renewed these certificates, Ms. Thangamani said.
However, Ms. Thangamani pointed out the 53 unregistered hostels could not be inspected in a short time frame because of staff shortage at the Department of Social Welfare. “We have works related to (State) government schemes,” she said. Despite this, Ms. Thangamani said that the officials are expected to finish inspecting the unregistered hostel premises by April.
A. Radhika, district secretary of All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), urged the district administration to survey the total number of women living in private hostels. “There must be at least two lakh women living in hostels in Coimbatore district,” she claimed. Most of the women's hostels are located in Saravanampatti, Peelamedu and Eachanari as various educational institutions and corporate offices are located in those areas, Ms. Radhika said. With Coimbatore being a hub for higher education and employment, women from other States live in private hostels and their safety must be ensured in the city, she said.
In 2018, a women's hostel at Hope College came under fire after some of the inmates complained of sexual harassment by the hostel owner. However, no major complaints of sexual harassment in private hostels have been confirmed by the district administration since then, Ms. Thangamani said
Mr. Rajamani said that he will convene a meeting with all the hostel owners and representatives of private hostels from the district soon. “We will communicate the expectations of the district administration in the meeting,” he said.