Teachers question 'unauthorised' structure in DU college; Principal says applied for its regularisation

NEW DELHI: Dyal Singh College campus has an "unauthorised" building for several years just adjacent to the NIA building, faculty members alleged on Wednesday, adding that the structure jeopardises the security of the probe agency's headquarters. Teachers at DU's Dyal Singh College have demanded the demolition of the structure built by the Dyal Singh Evening College (DSEC) in 2017 when it became a full-fledged morning college.

They also alleged that "large-scale corruption" and "nexus" between Dyal Singh Evening College administration and civic authorities have prevented any action against the structure. However, the evening college said it is not an "unauthorised" structure and that they have applied for the regularisation of the facility where around 700 students take classes. The Dyal Singh Evening College (DSEC) was earlier an evening college but became a full-fledged morning college in 2017.

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This led to the stress on the available resources including classrooms that it shares with already functional Dyal Singh Morning college. Both colleges share the campus and are situated in a very limited space of around 11 acres. The faculty members have alleged that the "illegal" structure has been declared "unauthorized" by the erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). No immediate response was available from the MCD.

From 2012-2022, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was functioning as three separate bodies following its trifurcation. In 2022, all three civic bodies including the SDMC were merged to become MCD again. The faculty members have said they have been raising the matter before the university and government authorities since the structure came up, but no action has been taken so far.

"Large-scale corruption and illegal construction were done on the premises of Dyal Singh College. The (erstwhile) SDMC deemed the construction to be illegal and hence ordered its demolition in July 2018," said Professor and Academic Council member Naveen Gaur. Gaur alleged that corruption and "nexus" between Dyal Singh Evening College administration and civic authorities have prevented any action against the structure.

"The illegal building is just next to the NIA building and new CRPF building, hence, possibly creating security concerns," he said. The construction was done in 2017 by the evening college of Dyal Singh College. The structure consists of seven rooms, Gaur said. "This block is referred as Semi-Permanent Structure (SPS) by the Dyal Singh Evening College. It is constructed in an area not demarcated for a building. The block lies partly in the set back area and partly in area meant for playground," Gaur claimed.

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The principal of Dyal Singh Evening College said he has written to the MCD and the Ministry of Urban Development regarding the regularisation of the structure. "We have lost land to public causes on three occasions. One in the wake of the 1982 Asiad Games, the other occasions are in the 1990s for a petrol pump and in 2007 for DMRC construction. From 12 acre land for 1,200 students it has come around to 10 acres of land for 6,000 students of Morning college and 2,000 students of Evening," a professor noted.

Sachin N, Associate Professor, Department of English, DSC claimed that when in 2017, evening college became a full-fledged college, then in haste to show the availability of classrooms, they went ahead and constructed the "structure illegally". "The Evening College took a very disastrous Tughlaqian route by converting themselves into a full-fledged morning college around 2017, thereby exacerbating the stress on available physical infrastructure.

The earlier vertical expansion was not an option and the Evening College in their haste to show the availability of classrooms went ahead and constructed the structure under question illegally," he said. "Many in the administrative apparatus concerned of various official agencies can be suspected of active connivance and dereliction of duty for allowing this illegality," he added.

However, the evening college principal said that due to the paucity of space on campus, they had to raise the structure. "At present, there are 2,000 students at the college. We became a full-fledged college in 2017. Earlier, there were only evening classes but we needed to provide morning classes as we have students coming from far-flung areas," Principal Pawan Sharma said. "This was just a temporary structure in the canteen to accommodate students as the new building is constructed. However, the space is still less so we are using this structure as well. We have applied for the regularisation of the building," Sharma said.