Youth hostel in Tiruchi lies in ruins

TIRUCHI

The Youth hostel near Anna Stadium in Tiruchi, which was shut during the pandemic, continues to remain closed.

The hostel, which was established to cater to the needs of the students and sportspersons travelling to the city from various districts, now lies abandoned. The 80-bedded, two-storey building that served both the athletes and students has been neglected for years and is in a dilapidated state due to poor maintenance.

According to a source, students who travel to Tiruchi f surrounding areas to take part in sports competitions and training camps held at the Bharathidasan University, Government Law College, Thanthai Periyar College, Jamal Mohammed College, and other colleges in the city are said to lodge at the hostel.

The hostel was supervised and temporarily maintained by the officials of Anna Stadium as caretakers were not appointed by the central government in the past few years. However, the hostel was entirely shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and is still closed even after the complete restoration of normality.

An athletic coach said that students had been raising their voices regarding the issue for the last few months, but officials from the department did not pay heed to their concerns. “Students who visit the city for sports meets are forced to arrange accommodation on their own as the hostel remains closed. Although a representation has been made to the district administration to renovate the hostel and make it operational, there was no solution in sight,” he said.

According to S. Sruthi, District Youth Officer, the department has recently taken control of the building that was left unattended for a long time. “Since the building is in ruins, we have planned to undertake a complete renovation. A request has been submitted to the central government to allocate funds for the renovation, and necessary steps would be taken to reopen the facility,” she said.