Hostel or House of Horrors?

Chennai: The squalor and ruin all around this boys' hostel should be seen to be believed. The 60-room building at Central Polytechnic College (CPT) in Taramani has been reeking for years, but nothing has been done to relocate the students or renovate the structure on a sprawling complex. About 1,000 students are doing various diploma courses including mechanical, civil, computer science and electrical in the 108-year-old institution, but only a little more than 100 choose to risk their lives and limbs by residing in the 60-year-old building.

Barely 25 rooms are occupied, while the rest are abandoned as they are full of garbage, rusted and broken beds. Most of the abandoned rooms on the first floor stink of urine. The students each pay ₹2,500 a month as rent, but they do not have doors for bathrooms, and the stained and stinking toilets are unusable.



Corridors haven't been swept for ages, fans and lights barely work, and there isn't a semblance of maintenance. So, boys go outdoors to pee or bathe. "It is run by the Directorate of Technical Education There's no warden here to manage anything, though, on paper, they say someone has been appointed.

No budget seems to have been made for the maintenance," said a third-year student. When TOI visited the ground-plus-two-floor building on Sunday, it resembled a house of horror with a cracked roof, exposed and rusting steel, broken walls, and damaged doors and windows. There was no one except the mess staff on campus.

Most of the 10 toilets on each floor were entirely damaged, with no taps, water supply, doors, or functional commodes. The common water tank outside the building was full of worms, but students used it while bathing in the open. "The toilet floors haven't been swept for months, so nobody goes there to bathe.

All students queue up in front of one or two toilets that still function," said another student. TOI spotted at least 12 pigs around the place where the students were bathing. Some say snakes are common visitors, especially at night.

The entire campus and corridors were littered with garbage, attracting stray animals too. "No one comes to collect garbage," a student said. The compound wall was completely damaged, and there weren't enough lights or CCTV cameras.

Students, who are mostly from other districts of Tamil Nadu for the three-year diploma course, said the mess food was of poor quality. They have to put up with watery dal or poorly boiled rice despite paying 80 to 100 a day. "Many shell out money to rent PGs," said a second-year student.

Asked about the mess, T Abraham, commissioner of technical education, said there were three buildings on the campus that were safer, and all the students will be shifted to better ones. "The existing hostel was built in 1964. Govt has sanctioned ₹25 crore to construct a new hostel, and it will be ready before the next academic year.

There are 145 students, and many have already been shifted," he said. But nothing untoward should happen in the meantime, as the next academic year is a good six months awayChennai: The stench, squalor and ruin all around this boys' hostel have to be seen to be believed. The 60-room hostel at Central Polytechnic College in Taramani has been reeking for years, but nothing has been done to relocate the students or renovate the building located on a sprawling complex.

About a 1,000 students are doing various diploma courses, such as mechanical, civil, computer science, and electrical in the 108-year-old institution, but only a little more than a 100 choose to risk their lives and limbs by residing in the 60-year-old hostel building. Barely 25 rooms are occupied and the remaining are abandoned with garbage, rusted and broken beds, where public urination is rampant. Most of the abandoned rooms on the first floor stinks of urine.

The students pay 2,500 a month as rent, but they do not have doors for bathrooms, and the stained and stinking toilets are unusable. Corridors haven't been swept for ages, fans and lights barely work, and there isn't any semblance of maintenance. So, boys go outdoors to pee or bathe.

"It is run by the state's Directorate of Technical Education There's no warden present here to manage anything, though, on paper, they say someone has been appointed. No budget seems to have been made for the maintenance," said a third-year student. When TOI visited the ground-plus-two-floor hostel building on CIT campus in Taramani, it resembled a house of horror with a cracked roof, exposed and rusting steel, broken walls, and damaged doors and windows.

There was no one except the mess staff on campus on Sunday. Most of the 10 toilets on each floor were entirely damaged, with no taps, water supply, doors, or functional commodes. The common water tank kept outside the building is full of worms, and still students use it while bathing in the open.

"The toilet floors haven't been swept for months, so nobody goes there to bathe. All students queue up in front of one or two toilets that still function," said another student. TOI spotted at least 12 pigs around the place where the students were bathing.

Students say snakes are common visitors, especially in the night. The entire campus and corridors were littered with garbage, attracting strays too. "No one comes to collect garbage here," a student said.

The compound wall is completely damaged, and there weren't enough lights or CCTVs. Students, who are mostly from other districts of Tamil Nadu for the three-year diploma course, said the mess food was of poor quality. They have to put up with watery dal or poorly boiled rice despite paying 80 to 100 a day.

"Many students shell out money to rent PGs," said a second-year student. When questioned about the mess, T Abraham, commissioner of technical education, said they have three buildings on the campus that are safer, and all the students will be shifted to better ones. "The existing hostel was built in 1964.

Govt has sanctioned 25 crore to construct a new hostel, and it will be ready before the next academic year. There are 145 students, and many have already been shifted," he said. But nothing untoward should happen in the meantime, as the next academic year is a good six months away.

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