Girls from the Northeast planning to study in Delhi need no longer worry about accommodation and security once the hostel is built

Guwahati, March 26: A few months ago, a student from Manipur studying in Delhi was physically assaulted by her landlord after she resisted his sexual advances. She was left with bruises on her forehead.

In the nation’s capital, cases of rape and molestation of girls from the Northeast — most of who stay in private hostels or rented apartments — are on the rise.

Now, girl students from the region — and their guardians — can breathe easy. A Rs 22.33-crore 500-seat modern hostel for tribal and Northeast girl students is being set up on Delhi University campus.

A long-felt demand of girl students, almost half of the 4,000-odd student population which flock to Delhi for higher education, the hostel is being funded by the ministry of tribal affairs and DoNER. The issue of safety of Northeast students has also figured in the Assemblies of the region.

An official in Dispur said the hostel would be completed by 2009.

“It is a welcome development and will go a long way in easing our tension. It will give the girls a lot of strength to cope with eve-teasing, slurs and predatory mindset,” said a woman whose daughter is doing her graduation in Delhi.

The hostel is being set up in the Dhaka Housing Complex of Delhi University with which a memorandum of understanding has already been signed and the first instalment of Rs 2.6 crore released this month.

The importance of the project can be gauged from the fact thatgirls from the region have been repeatedly facing discrimination and trouble for their distinct appearance and features while commuting or when they go in search of accommodation. Reports suggest that 50 per cent of sexual harassment or eve-teasing in the national capital is targeted at girls from the Northeast.

Sources in the chief minister’s office here said the hostel would be well equipped with facilities for solar water heating and rainwater harvesting given the water crisis in Delhi. Besides accommodating the students, the hostel will also have separate quarters for wardens, tutors, security staff and helpers. The ministry of tribal affairs will foot 40 per cent of the bill while the DoNER will chip in with the rest.