In light of the alleged rape and murder of an 18-year-old student at Savitribai Phule Women’s Hostel in Charni Road, the higher and technical education department of Maharashtra is leaving no stones unturned to ensure girls’ safety in hostels.
The department has released comprehensive safety guidelines for all 110 hostels under its jurisdiction which mandates the presence of women security guards along with male counterparts across all girls’ hostels in the state. Also, the security guards must be employed through agencies approved by the Home Guards and home department across all girls’ hostels in the state.
Additionally, supplementary hostel services such as laundry will have to be provided by female service providers, and a fixed schedule for these services will be enforced.
The guidelines, issued through a Government Resolution (GR), aim to prioritise the safety and security of female residents.
A five-member committee led by the director of higher education Shailendra Deolankar was appointed to conduct a thorough security audit of the hostels. After the committee submitted its report, the GR was issued to implement the recommendations.
The GR also proposes the formation of regional committees headed by joint directors of higher and technical education to oversee and continuously evaluate safety measures in government-run hostels within their respective regions. In order to ensure the competency of hostel wardens and staff in handling security concerns, the GR emphasises the need for comprehensive training programmes.
The office of the director of higher and technical education will develop a detailed training curriculum for this purpose. Furthermore, each floor of government-run hostels will be equipped with an emergency alarm button, enabling swift response in case of any untoward incidents.
The committee’s recommendations also include infrastructural improvements, such as the construction of sturdy safety walls around all hostels. Comprehensive CCTV surveillance systems will be installed to cover the entire campus, including the outward direction of the main gate. Moreover, a computerised registration system for the entry and exit of hostel residents will be implemented, and attendance reports of student residents will be periodically sent to their parents.
The GR mandates the formation of anti-ragging committees in all hostels, along with the provision of suggestion boxes and contact services like email to facilitate grievance submission by student residents. Each regional committee will comprise five members, including a police officer from a nearby police station, ensuring the involvement of law enforcement in the safety review process. These committees will be responsible for assessing the current admission system in relation to security concerns and ensuring the implementation of all recommended security measures and infrastructural enhancements outlined in the GR.
Immediate action is expected from these committees, as they are required to submit a report within one month outlining their plan of action. Subsequently, these committees will conduct security measure reviews every six months for the hostels under their jurisdiction. The implementation of these safety guidelines aims to prevent similar incidents and create a secure environment for female students residing in government-run hostels across Maharashtra.
