Naidu orders strict accountability on facilities in welfare hostels

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday issued a stern warning to officials that recent lapses in SC, ST and BC hostels must not recur, adding that any repeat of such incidents would trigger direct administrative action against those responsible.

Reviewing water supply, sanitation and student facilities in welfare hostels and residential schools at the Secretariat, Naidu said that 20 per cent of hostels still lack proper toilet facilities. He approved the release of Rs 40 crore to complete the remaining works on a “war footing.”

Naidu said the presence of hostels without functioning RO water plants and toilets reflected “gross negligence” during the previous administration. He directed officials to ensure that RO plants are installed in all hostels and every residential school without delay. The Chief Minister instructed that inspections be institutionalized, from ministers and senior departmental officials down to field-level staff and made a routine responsibility. “The Welfare Department must maintain 100 per cent cleanliness in all hostels and residential schools. No lapse, however small, will be tolerated,” he said.

He ordered regular medical check-ups for students, including blood sampling for all 4.17 lakh hostel residents, to identify and treat health issues early. Naidu directed the establishment of a joint command-control room for all welfare departments and asked officials to create digital health records for students in every hostel. “All RO plants must undergo weekly audits. If medical tests reveal health issues in any hostel, authorities must identify the source of the problem and ensure treatment. Water sampling will be compulsory across hostels,” he said.

Special focus must be placed on hostels in agency and remote areas, he added. The Chief Minister also mandated structured counselling sessions, male counsellors for boys’ hostels and female counsellors for girls’ hostels—to support students’ mental well-being and confidence.