DU Reopening: Outstation students complain of hawkish PG landlords

New Delhi: Not everyone is happy with Delhi University’s decision to start offline classes. Students from outside Delhi are complaining that the varsity asked them to return to the campus on a very short notice, and the massive rush back to the campus has made the PG rent shoot up to unreasonably high prices.

The university had on February 9 issued a notification announcing the resumption of in-person classes from February 17. Even those who managed to find a stay in university hostels are no better off. With many of the hostels under repair, students are forced to find accommodation elsewhere.

"The hostel allotment is underway but, anyway, seats are limited and students are given hostel rooms on the basis of a merit list so very few students get them," said a student of Kirori Mal College.

Several outstation students PTI spoke to complained of being given too short a notice to plan their return. “I am anxious since we have exams in the next 20 days. We have to sort many things out and also study for exams. This is an additional pressure. "Students were asking for hybrid classes but our demand was refused. They said it is not possible,” said 24-year-old Aditi Jain, a first year student of Masters in English.

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Another student, 18-year-old Mamatha Rose from Kerala, looked visibly tired after standing in a long queue at the Vishwavidyalaya Metro station.

“They earlier informed us you have to come to Delhi. But two days back they told us you can take online classes. I mean, there is so much mismanagement. We had already booked the tickets and my friend and her father helped us booking a PG. “They did not give us enough time to shift. Today, I am unable to take online classes because I need to shift. They should have provided us with accommodation facilities,” Rose said.

Another student rued the unprecedented rise in the rent. "It took us 12 hours to hunt for a PG. The landlords have unreasonably increased the rent. They know it's a desperate situation with students running here and there. Even the domestic flight ticket prices are high,” said Osheeen, a second year student of BA Programme.

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“Many of my classmates haven't come yet. They are missing out on classes since there is no online mode for them. I took a train yesterday to reach Delhi from Allahabad. It's my first day at college since I took admission." Gauri, a third year student of English (Honours) from Kerala, said the PG rates have tripled.

"PG owners are taking advantage of the situation and asking students triple the amount of actual rent. They are asking for Rs 16,000 for a triple-seater room. This is too much,” she said. A number of outstation final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students of the DU recently started a petition asking the varsity to not open the colleges for just two months left in the session. The petition started on Change.org was addressed to the vice-chancellor, registrar, proctor, and the dean of students’ welfare.