The revelations are part of the Compliance Audit Report 2024, which was tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly during the ongoing monsoon session. The report highlights widespread administrative shortcomings, including poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, weak financial controls, and delays in expanding hostel facilities across the state.
The audit found that the Department of Social Justice and Special Assistance continued releasing funds to six non-functional hostels between 2020 and 2024, even though these facilities had no occupants.
A major example cited in the report is the Modikhan Hostel in Jalna. Auditors found a locked and deteriorated building with no signs of student occupancy. However, official records claimed that 38 students were enrolled at the hostel and that a superintendent was managing the facility. Despite the absence of students, the government continued releasing Rs 18 lakh in honorarium payments to the institution over four years.
Another hostel in Jafrabad, Jalna district, which was constructed to accommodate 24 students, was found abandoned. Auditors observed dust-covered beds and no residents at the facility. Similar "ghost hostels" were identified at four locations in Jalna district and one each in Buldhana and Latur.
The CAG report concluded that the department released Rs 1.62 crore to non-functional entities, exposing significant weaknesses in verification procedures and monitoring systems.
As of March 2024, Maharashtra had 443 government-run hostels and 2,388 government-aided hostels, with accommodation capacity for 1,21,971 boys and 40,543 girls. During the audit period, the state spent approximately Rs 2,321 crore on hostel operations.
The CAG conducted physical inspections of 18 government-run hostels and 21 government-aided hostels and found widespread deficiencies in basic facilities. Several hostels lacked dining halls, libraries, computer laboratories, CCTV surveillance systems, daily newspapers, television facilities, and power backup arrangements.
In multiple hostels, students were forced to sit on the floor while eating due to the absence of adequate tables and chairs. Regular medical examinations were either irregular or unavailable. Auditors also reported poor sanitation, insufficient lighting, unsafe drinking water, and poor-quality food at several facilities.
The audit further highlighted serious concerns regarding accessibility and safety standards. In hostels located in Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv, Jalna, and Nagpur, students with disabilities were allotted rooms on upper floors despite government guidelines requiring ground-floor accommodation for easier access.
Technology-based monitoring systems were also found to be ineffective. Out of 280 government hostels equipped with biometric attendance systems, only 46 had operational devices. This limited the department's ability to accurately track hostel occupancy and prevent irregularities.
Auditors also noted that several hostels failed to maintain the mandatory one-month reserve stock of food grains, creating concerns over food security for resident students.
The report criticised financial management practices, stating that Rs 56.65 crore out of the Rs 487 crore allocated for government hostels in 2023-24 remained unused.
The failure to utilise available funds also affected hostel expansion plans. A total of 8,930 students across 117 talukas were deprived of hostel facilities because the policy of establishing at least one government hostel in every taluka was not implemented.
The audit revealed that 49 government hostels were functioning without superintendents, while five girls' hostels were being managed by male superintendents.
The CAG also observed that Maharashtra failed to achieve its target of constructing 500 government hostels by 2020. Despite funds being sanctioned, only 443 government hostels had been established by March 2024, delaying access to accommodation facilities for thousands of eligible students.
The findings indicate that the issue extends beyond isolated cases of financial irregularities. The audit has highlighted deep-rooted weaknesses in verification systems, supervision mechanisms, and welfare policy implementation, allowing public funds to continue reaching facilities that existed only on paper while many deserving students remained without hostel accommodation
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