Hyderabad : In a significant move aimed at enhancing the security and living conditions for working women in the city, the Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) Women’s Forum, in collaboration with the Cyberabad police and SHE teams, launched the Safe Stay Audit Programme on Friday, November 15. This initiative, known as Project Safe Stay, is designed to ensure that all women’s hostels and paying guest facilities in Hyderabad adhere to the safety protocols established by the Cyberabad police. The Safe Stay Audit Programme will focus on verifying the safety commandments that dictate secure living conditions within these facilities. The programme aims to conduct thorough audits of hostels to assess compliance with these protocols. Remarkably, in 2019, five audits were conducted covering 267 accommodation facilities, and plans are now in motion for a sixth audit, which will take place from November 2024 to January 2025.
The specific schedule for this upcoming audit will be announced shortly, targeting facilities located within six clusters around the Madhapur zone. The launch event featured an induction for 50 volunteers from various organizations, including SCSC traffic volunteers and the Anusandhan team. These dedicated individuals will play a crucial role in preparing for the audits, which will evaluate the safety parameters of hostels throughout Hyderabad. This initiative comes in the wake of recent inspections by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which conducted surprise checks at ten government hostels, including two in Hyderabad. During these inspections, the ACB, supported by a team of inspectors specializing in legal metrology, sanitation, food quality, and auditing, uncovered numerous irregularities.
Findings revealed alarming issues such as inflated student numbers, poor hygiene practices in kitchens and bathrooms, inadequate sanitation conditions, lack of a consistent drinking water supply, and poor lighting and ventilation in living quarters. Furthermore, the inspections highlighted failures to maintain accurate food menus and provide essential daily provisions like eggs and milk. Most concerning was the state of the bathrooms in women's hostels, which were deemed unusable, coupled with inadequate maintenance of the required 18 registers and records. The discrepancies between commodity weights and the records indicated possible misappropriation of funds related to purchases. With the Safe Stay Audit Programme, the SCSC and Cyberabad police are taking proactive steps to ensure that women can find safe and secure accommodation in Hyderabad, addressing the critical issues unveiled by recent inspections and striving to create a safer living environment for all.