SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Wednesday directed all concerned departments to ensure the completion and operationalisation of hostel buildings across Jammu and Kashmir, stressing that public assets created through substantial investment must not remain idle or underutilised.
Chairing a review meeting attended by senior officers from the School Education, Social Welfare, Tribal Affairs and Higher Education sectors, the Chief Secretary assessed the status of hostels constructed under various schemes and discussed measures for making them functional at the earliest.
Expressing concern over a number of hostel buildings that remain non-operational despite significant public expenditure, Dulloo directed the School Education Department to fix accountability at the district level by making Chief Education Officers (CEOs) responsible for the completion and operationalisation of projects within their jurisdictions.
He also ordered the designation of a dedicated mentoring officer for each hostel to monitor progress and facilitate the timely resolution of issues delaying completion or functioning.
Emphasising efficient use of public resources, the Chief Secretary asked departmental heads to focus on making completed hostel buildings functional without further delay. He noted that every public asset should contribute meaningfully to social welfare and human development.
Dulloo further directed departments to identify hostel structures that may no longer be suitable for their original purpose and explore alternative ways of utilizing them in the larger public interest.
To enable informed decision-making, he asked all concerned departments to furnish detailed information regarding the sanctioned capacity, present occupancy and enrollment status of each hostel established under their respective schemes.
During the meeting, Commissioner Secretary, School and Higher Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma, presented a detailed overview of hostel infrastructure under the sector, including functional, non-functional and under-construction hostels. He informed the meeting that hostels have been established across districts under Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) and other schemes for students in schools and higher educational institutions.
Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez, reviewed hostel facilities developed for students belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Pahari community, and outlined measures being taken to improve their utilization.
Officials from the Tribal Affairs Department briefed the meeting on the availability, occupancy and operational status of hostels for tribal students, besides providing details of facilities under construction and awaiting operationalization.
The departments assured the Chief Secretary that concerted efforts are underway to make all such facilities functional at the earliest in line with the directions issued during the meeting.
