By Dr. Dinesh
Sri Vijaya Puram, October 30: Opposite Netaji Stadium in Sri Vijaya Puram stands a government-owned Youth Hostel that once provided affordable accommodation to visiting athletes, students and youth groups. Today, the facility lies abandoned in a state of disrepair. Its neglect raises a pertinent question: why should a public asset established to serve the youth be allowed to decay without a concrete plan for its restoration?
The hostel’s location made it particularly useful for sporting teams, student delegations and participants attending various events. Youth hostels traditionally promote sports, education and cultural exchange by offering economical accommodation to young people and groups travelling on limited budgets.
In an island territory such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where accommodation costs can be a significant burden for visiting teams and students, the importance of such a facility cannot be overstated. Its neglect represents not merely the deterioration of a building but also the loss of a valuable public service.
The prolonged abandonment of the hostel raises serious concerns about the maintenance of government infrastructure. Public buildings are constructed with taxpayers’ money and should be maintained to ensure their continued utility. When routine maintenance is neglected and repairs are postponed indefinitely, minor defects can develop into major structural problems, making eventual restoration considerably more expensive.
The Directorate of Sports, under whose jurisdiction the facility reportedly falls, should clarify the present status of the building and explain why renovation or repair work has not been undertaken. Has a structural assessment been conducted? Is the building suitable for restoration, and what would be the estimated expenditure required to make it functional again?
If the building can be restored at a reasonable cost, priority should be given to bringing it back into service. Its future use could be planned in consultation with sports associations and educational institutions to ensure that it meets the accommodation needs of visiting groups.
Reviving the hostel would support sporting events, student exchanges and educational activities in the islands. Affordable accommodation could encourage more teams and institutions from the mainland to participate in tournaments and training programmes without facing prohibitive accommodation expenses.
At a time when efficient utilisation of public resources is essential, allowing an existing facility to deteriorate is difficult to justify. Restoring an available public asset should take precedence over allowing it to become unusable through prolonged neglect.
The Youth Hostel should not remain a symbol of administrative indifference. Its restoration would not only protect public investment but also revive a facility that once served the people and could continue to benefit generations of young visitors to the islands.
