SHILLONG: The Ad Hoc Committee of Hostel Owners Association has sought Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s intervention to provide succour to the hostel operators, who have also been hit hard in view of the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
The letter comes in the wake of Chief Secretary MS Rao directing all government, government-aided and privately owned-hostels in the state to desist from charging rent from students during the period of the lockdown beginning from April 2020 till further orders.
“We are totally dependent on the monthly rental on the wards and it has become extremely hard to sustain our livelihood. Considering the circumstances, it is incumbent for us to seek your intervention in the form of providing relief assistance to us,” the association said in a letter to the chief minister.
The association also alleged that the occupants, following the closure of institutions due to lockdown, have not cleared the rent, adding that the hostel operators pivot on the rent from their occupants for survival.
“It is pertinent to mention that we are surviving on business income derived from the hostel services and accommodation rendered to the student community. Upon the closure of the institutions, occupants of the hostels have left since the month of April, leaving behind all their belongings. Since then, they have not paid dues including accommodation and mess fees to the owners,” the association rued.