Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to file within two weeks a report complying with the instructions contained in fourth chapter of Guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act-2018.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar passed this direction, after hearing an interim application filed as part of a PIL petition over providing facilities in government-run hostels for students as per the Act. Petitioner Guru Teja contended in his original plea that basic amenities like bathrooms and toilets were not available to residents of government operated hostels as per the norms prescribed in the Act.
The HC had earlier issued notices after hearing the PIL petition. However, the petitioner filed an interim application in the backdrop of nearly 300 students falling sick, some of them critically, due to food poisoning in hostels and residential schools in different parts of the State. The petitioner informed the court that food poisoning instances had gone up in the recent past suggesting that safety and health of the residents of hostels was not high on the priority of officials.
Advocate Chikkudu Prabhakar appearing for the petitioner, told the bench that spoilt food being served to residents of government hostels was reported at Asifabad, Vikarabad, Devaruppala, Morthad, Huzurabad, Ibrahimpatnam and other government run hostels and residential schools. The government failed to take measures immediately after the first instance of food poisoning was reported a few weeks ago, he said.
The rising number of incidents pointed out the pathetic conditions at these hostels and residential schools but government failed to respond and initiate immediate steps to ensure such incidents did not recur. Mr. Prabhakar said the NCPCR Act mandated better hygiene and adequate facilities to the students residing in these accommodations meant for children from lower strata of society and the minorities.
Not complying with the provisions of the Act relating to amenities to students amounted to violations of Articles 14, 21 and 21A of the Constitution, Mr. Prabhakar argued. Under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyana project, the government had provided funds to residential schools and hostels for children. But the facilities at these places were far below from the normal, he said.
