'Zero Occupants, Regular Funding': Auditor Flags Ghost Hostels In Maharashtra

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has uncovered six "ghost hostels" in Maharashtra that received Rs 1.62 crore in government funding over four years despite housing no students. The finding has exposed serious lapses in the implementation and monitoring of welfare schemes meant for students from socially and economically disadvantaged communities.

The revelation is part of the Compliance Audit Report 2024, tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly during the ongoing monsoon session.

The audit paints a broader picture of administrative failures, citing poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, weak financial oversight and delays in expanding hostel facilities across the state.

Rs 1.62 Crore Released To Non-Functional Hostels

The CAG found that the Department of Social Justice and Special Assistance continued to disburse funds to six non-functional hostels between 2020 and 2024. The facilities had no occupants.

One of the most striking examples is Modikhan Hostel in Jalna, where auditors found a dilapidated, locked building with no signs of occupancy. However, official records showed that 38 students were enrolled and that a superintendent was in charge, and the government continued to release Rs 18 lakh in honorarium payments to the institution for four years.

Another hostel in Jafrabad (Jalna district), built to accommodate 24 students, was found deserted, with dust-covered beds and no occupants. Similar "ghost hostels" were identified at four locations in Jalna district and one each in Buldhana and Latur.

The report concluded that the department had released Rs 1.62 crore to non-functional entities, highlighting major deficiencies in verification and oversight mechanisms.

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Welfare Infrastructure Falling Short

As of March 2024, Maharashtra had:

• 443 government-run hostels
• 2,388 government-aided hostels
• Capacity for 1,21,971 boys and 40,543 girls

The state spent approximately Rs 2,321 crore on hostel operations during the audit period.

The CAG physically inspected 18 government-run and 21 government-aided hostels, uncovering widespread deficiencies in basic infrastructure.

Many hostels lacked:

• Dining halls
• Libraries
• Computer laboratories
• CCTV surveillance
• Daily newspapers
• Television facilities
• Power backup

In several hostels, students had to sit on the floor during meals because tables and chairs were unavailable. Regular medical check-ups were either irregular or absent, while auditors also found poor sanitation, inadequate lighting, unsafe drinking water and poor-quality food at several facilities.

Safety And Accessibility Concerns

The audit also highlighted serious violations of accessibility norms.

In hostels located in Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv, Jalna and Nagpur, differently-abled students were allotted rooms on upper floors despite government guidelines requiring ground-floor accommodation.

Technology-based monitoring was also found to be ineffective. Of the 280 government hostels equipped with biometric attendance systems, only 46 had functioning devices, limiting the department's ability to monitor occupancy accurately.

Auditors further noted that several hostels failed to maintain the mandatory one-month buffer stock of food grains, raising concerns over food security for resident students.

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Funds Left Unspent, Students Left Without Hostels

The report criticised the government's financial management, noting that Rs 56.65 crore out of the Rs 487 crore allocated for government hostels in 2023-24 remained unspent.

The failure to utilise available funds also impacted expansion plans. According to the audit:

• 8,930 students across 117 talukas were deprived of hostel facilities because the government's policy of establishing at least one government hostel in every taluka was not implemented.
• 49 government hostels were operating without superintendents.
• Five girls' hostels were being managed by male superintendents.

The CAG also observed that Maharashtra failed to meet its target of constructing 500 government hostels by 2020. Despite funds being sanctioned, only 443 hostels had been established by March 2024, with delays affecting access to accommodation for thousands of eligible students.

Audit Raises Questions On Monitoring

The findings suggest that the problems extend beyond isolated cases of financial irregularities. The audit points to weak verification systems, inadequate supervision and poor implementation of welfare policies, allowing funds to continue flowing to hostels that existed only on paper while thousands of students remained without accommodation.