Construction of the Government Adi Dravidar Welfare Hostel has been progressing at a brisk pace at Raja Colony in Tiruchi.
| Photo Credit: ANCY DONAL MADONNA
Work on constructing two new Adi Dravidar Welfare hostels at Panjapur and Raja Colony in Tiruchi for school and college students is progressing at a brisk pace with the authorities expecting to complete it within a few months.
The new hostel at Panjapur is being established at an estimate of ₹19 crore to accommodate 350 college boys, and the construction of hostel at Raja Colony has been taken up with an estimate of ₹15 crore to house 250 schoolgirls. The three-storey buildings will feature rooms, sanitation complexes, a kitchen, a dining hall, a common hall, and a warden’s room. These hostels would benefit students coming to study in the welfare schools and colleges.
The construction of the hostels began last year and the officials had been directed to expedite the work. “The civil work at the Raja Colony hostel has been completed, and plastering and plumbing works are under way, which will be completed within three months,” said Collector V. Saravanan. He told The Hindu that the hostel at Panjapur is expected to be completed within four months.
According to sources, there are separate girls’ hostels for accommodating school and college students in the Cantonment. Since the school hostel is under renovation, the schoolchildren were shifted to the college students’ hostel. There were over 90 college students in the hostel, and shifting around 45 schoolchildren has made the hostel congested.
On Thursday night, college students staged a sit-in protest in front of the Collectorate complex, demanding immediate measures to decongest the hostel. They complained about lack of space, insufficient toilet facilities, and an irregular drinking water supply. The Collector held talks and as a temporary solution, the schoolchildren were shifted to the vacant hostel in Somarasampettai with a promise to be accommodated in a permanent building soon.
“Transportation has been arranged for students to prevent them from travelling a long distance to attend school. A van with a driver has been made available to pick up and drop the students. Once the new hostel is completed, the students will be shifted there,” said Mr. Saravanan.
The Collector has instructed the officials to connect the toilets, which remained unused due to sewage overflow, to the underground drainage network. The hostel has four toilets each on the ground and first floors. Facilities, including drinking water units and charging points, are to be made available for the students.
Published – July 06, 2025 06:32 pm IST
