ACB raids expose poor state of welfare hostels

Visakhapatnam: The officials of Anti-Corruption Bureau ( ACB ) on Thursday conducted raids at social welfare hostels for boys at Ramabhadrapuram and Pedduru in Vizianagaram district.

During their inspection, the ACB team found several irregularities in the running of the hostels, said sources.

The ACB team led by DSP BVS Nageswara Rao carried out surprise raids at the hostels and found mismatch in the attendance of hostel inmates. The hostel authorities had inflated the student strength to draw excess amount from the government. The ACB team also found substantial variations in the quality of grocery items such as rice, pulses, edible oil and a few others.

“Apart from the mismatch in attendance, many lapses were found in the records of stores also,” Rao added.

At the time of the visit, the hostel at Pedduru was locked and the officials found out that very few students were staying in the hostel and having food.

The raids also exposed a lack of basic amenities like water, proper sanitation, and quality food at the hostel. The staff did not adhere to the regular food menu and were not supplying eggs, bananas, milk, curd to the students regularly.

“The students were not happy with the quality of food being served at the hostel and the quantity too was meagre,” Rao added.

The officials will soon submit a report to the state government about the poor functioning of the welfare hostels for the boys and on the mismanagement of the staff.

The ACB team also noted that there were several financial irregularities at the welfare hostels and suspected swindling of funds meant for the welfare of the inmates by the staff