Gudi becomes badi

Gudi becomes badi
x
Highlights

Probably it may be the rarest of the rare incident that a temple is literally used as a multiple shelter for the social welfare hostel students which reflect the apathy of the concerned authority of the Social Welfare Residential Hostel cum School.

Sai Mandir shelters hostel students in Chittoor

Chittoor: Probably it may be the rarest of the rare incident that a temple is literally used as a multiple shelter for the social welfare hostel students which reflect the apathy of the concerned authority of the Social Welfare Residential Hostel cum School. The government sanctioned a Social Welfare Boys Hostel cum School for Puthalapattu Mandal three years ago.

As no suitable building was found in Puthalapattu, the proposed hostel cum school was started in a private building situated near Kanipakapatnam, which is over 6 km distance from Chittoor. There are over 500 students where 80 per cent are SCs studying Class V to Class IX in the new hostel. The building is very old, students are facing untold miseries due to lack of minimum facilities.

There are no fans in the hostel blocks. It becomes hell for the students to spend their nights due to mosquito menace. There are only two toilets and with acute water shortage, they become useless. Students have to drink bore well water and food is also prepared with the same water in the hostel.

Shirdi Sai Mandir, a spacious temple which is adjacent to the hostel building is said to be a boon for the students. It is the oldest temple of Shirdi Saibaba in the area. There are hardly any devotees coming to this temple and it has no income. As a result, the management of the hostel is apparently using the temple for all their purposes like conducting exams and special classes to the students.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Thursday, D S Nagaraju, Principal Social Welfare Residential Hostel admitted that there was no other go to run the hostel cum school effectively without the cooperation form Sai Baba Charitable Trust “We use to conduct examinations once in a week in the main hall of the temple where 400 students can be accommodated.

With the blessings of Shirdi Sai Baba, we are running the hostel cum school purposefully. “We are spending Rs 25,000 towards the rent for the old building to run the hostel cum school”, he said. He said that a new SW hostel building with an out lay of Rs 13 cr is expected to come up shortly at Puthalapattu.

Since the students are male, many of them use the nearest fields for nature calls due to lack of toilet facilities in the old building. During the rainy season, the students prefer to sleep in the temple rather than in the old building as it roof leaks in many rooms building.

By CP Rao

Show Full Article
Print Article
Next Story
More Stories
ADVERTISEMENT