New Delhi: A central portal mapping student data across universities and higher education institutions in the capital will be developed within 15 days, while Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the urban development department will identify suitable land parcels for building new student hostels.These were among the key decisions taken at the first meeting of the high-powered committee on student accommodation and safety held Tuesday.Owners of paying guest (PG) facilities need to register their properties on the portal and provide details, including the age of a building, its size and structure, and fire-safety measures in place.The committee will also work on framing new laws and regulations governing PG accommodation in the capital. Officials said that all relevant stakeholders, including the training and technical education department, will be involved in drafting the regulatory framework.The meeting with 20 members of the committee was chaired by the Delhi education and urban development minister, Ashish Sood.Lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu had formed this high-level committee to review and address an acute shortage, poor safety standards and lack of regulation of student housing facilities across the city.“The meeting focused on developing a coordinated approach towards making student accommodation safer, more accessible and better regulated, while strengthening safety measures and facilities for students,” Sood said.The panel, which has been given 60 days to submit its final recommendations, will provide policy direction and coordinate measures across agencies.Its first meeting was attended by Delhi chief secretary, police commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, vice-chancellors of universities and principal secretary (education), among others.The committee will assess the gap between student intake and existing hostel capacity and explore higher floor area ratio (FAR) permissions to expand accommodation within university campuses.It will also identify under-utilised govt and DDA properties, including vacant housing projects in Narela, which could be converted into hostels, along with public transport connectivity to educational hubs.For PG accommodation, the panel will examine a mandatory registration framework and the creation of a central database covering such facilities across the city.The proposed regulatory framework will also look at standardising lease agreements, introducing zone-wise rent bands and curbing arbitrary electricity surcharges imposed on students.New laws and regulations governing PG accommodation will be considered, with relevant departments and other stakeholders involved in framing the rules.Student safety will be another focus, with structural and fire-safety audits, emergency evacuation protocols and regular mock drills proposed for accommodation facilities.A centralised digital dashboard is also planned to allow students to report overcrowding at PGs, building-safety hazards and lease violations, with complaints proposed to be taken up for time-bound resolution.
