A majority of the hostels for women and children in the city are yet to implement the guidelines on safety set by the Tamil Nadu government in June this year.
In the wake of rape of two minor girls in Pollachi early this year, the government formulated 23 guidelines for hostels housing children, teenage girls and working women.
The guidelines included installing CCTV cameras in hostels, deputing round-the-clock security guards, maintaining an attendance register, providing photo identity cards for family members and not permitting visitors to enter the hostel premises.
“Most hostels in the city have not installed CCTV cameras. The place I stay has a person in-charge and not even a warden,” says R. Keerthana, an inmate of a private working women’s hostel. According to her, the hostel has around 30 inmates and there is no register to mark their presence every day.
An inmate of another hostel said, “The hostel I stay is attached to a school. There is no regulation on entry of visitors. Parents of the school students and auto-drivers are permitted inside the premises.”
There is no identity card for family members, added the inmate.
Sathya Ammayar Memorial Government Orphanage here, which has 155 inmates, is situated in a dilapidated building constructed in 1979 and has no CCTV camera installed. There is no security guard to the hostel and the premise has visitors throughout the day.
District Social Welfare Officer R. Ananthavalli told The Hindu that CCTV cameras would be installed at the government orphanage soon.
“The premise houses various other departments, because of which there are visitors till evening. There is a proposal to relocate the hostel as well,” she said.
Ms. Ananthavalli said that notices were issued to all hostels on the guidelines in June.
“It is being gradually implemented. We will convene a meeting in December and address the issue. Strict instructions will be given to the managements on implementing the guidelines at the earliest,” she added.
