Delhi govt to develop student accommodation, PG registration portals within 15 days

The Delhi government decided to develop two portals within 15 days to map student accommodation needs and register paying guest (PG) facilities, besides identifying land parcels for new hostels, at the first meeting of a high-powered committee on student accommodation and safety. Education Minister Ashish Sood said discussions are also underway with Ambedkar University, Delhi, to take some of its land for the construction of a hostel as part of efforts to address the shortage of student accommodation. A centralised digital grievance redressal dashboard will also be created where students can report overcrowding, building safety hazards and lease violations for time-bound resolution, he said.

The issue of lack of proper hostel facilities for the students in Delhi has come under sharper focus after the collapse of a five-storeyed paying guest (PG) accommodation in Satya Niketan in the heart of Delhi University's South Campus that left seven persons, including five students, dead.

Also read 12 DU colleges, just 1 with hostels: Why students are forced into PGs like the one collapsed in Satya Niketan

The meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Sood, also decided to draft new laws and regulations for PG accommodations, with all stakeholders, including the Training and Technical Education (TTE) department, to be involved in framing the rules. "A central portal will be developed within 15 days to map student data across all universities and institutions in Delhi, while a separate portal will be created for PG owners to register their facilities and provide details such as the age of the building, structure size and fire safety measures," he said.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Urban Development Department will identify suitable land parcels for construction of new hostels, according to a statement. The committee was also tasked with providing overarching policy direction, ensuring inter-agency coordination and submitting its final recommendations within 60 days, it said. It will assess the gap between demand and supply of university hostels in view of student inflow and explore higher floor area ratio (FAR) permissions for expansion of accommodation on university campuses.

The panel will also identify under-utilised government or DDA properties, including vacant housing in Narela, which can potentially be converted into hostels, with adequate public transport connectivity being considered, it stated. On PG accommodation, the committee will work towards a mandatory registration framework and a central database covering institutional and private PG housing. It will also examine lease agreements, arbitrary electricity surcharges and the possibility of introducing zone-wise rent bands, the statement said. It further said that the panel will focus on structural and fire safety, including mandatory structural audits, fire safety checks, emergency evacuation protocols and regular mock drills for PG operators and students.

Also read ‘Leak in education’: Delhi Govt drops land rule, helps 2,000 unrecognised pvt schools get legal sanction

The committee comprises the Chief Secretary, Delhi Police Commissioner, MCD Commissioner, NDMC chairperson, DDA vice-chairperson, secretaries of the Home, Revenue, Health, Urban Development, Law and PWD departments, the Chief Fire Officer and vice-chancellors of Delhi University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Ambedkar University Delhi, NSUT and DTU. The maiden meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Delhi Police Commissioner, MCD Commissioner, vice-chancellors of the participating universities and the Principal Secretary (Education), among others, it added.

Sood said the meeting focused on a coordinated approach towards providing safe, accessible and better student accommodation while strengthening safety measures and facilities for students across Delhi. He said the Delhi government was committed to creating a safe and secure environment for students through a practical and balanced regulatory system. The 20-member high-powered committee was formed by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu to review the acute shortage of student accommodation, safety standards and regulation of student housing across the national capital.