New Delhi: Days after the Satya Niketan tragedy, chief minister Rekha Gupta Tuesday announced that Delhi govt would construct hostels for 10,000 students to “provide them a safe, supportive place to stay, so they can study with peace of mind and move closer to the future they came here to build”.“Lakhs of students come to Delhi for study; they get admission but not hostels… (They) will be provided safe and economic accommodation. These hostels will be made for girls as well as boys from any university,” Gupta said, adding that hostels are required for making Delhi a big education hub. The scope of the initiative will be expanded as per the growing need, chief minister’s office said.On Sept 6, a five-storey building being used as a paying guest facility for students collapsed in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus, killing seven people, including five DU students. The incident brought back into focus the issue of lack of safe and adequate accommodation facilities for students and triggered demands for institutional housing facilities.The construction is already under way or has been proposed at several institutions, including Ambedkar University, Dhirpur, GB Pant Engineering College and Polytechnic, Indira Gandhi Hospital and Medical College, and Delhi Sports University. Various departments, such as health, higher education, and women and child development, are getting the hostels constructed under the public-private partnership model. Govt will also conduct a survey of colleges that have sufficient space for hostel construction.An official said hostels would have essential facilities, including Wi-Fi, 24-hour electricity and water supply, study rooms, libraries and hygienic messes. Round-the-clock security will be ensured through CCTV surveillance and biometric entry systems. Fire safety measures and regular structural audits will be accorded the highest priority to ensure a safe and secure living environment for students, the official said.“We will make such hostels where parents from different parts of the country can leave their children without worry. The students also need not worry about food and accommodation, rather they can concentrate on their dreams,” said CM.Delhi faces a severe shortage of institutional hostel accommodation. DU, for instance, has around 2.5 lakh regular students, many of whom come from outside the city, but currently has hostel capacity for only 7,210, forcing a large number of students to live in unsafe and uncomfortable PG accommodations at high rents. Many of these buildings have been constructed in densely populated areas in violation of building norms. DU has planned to expand the capacity to 12,754 seats, still falling short of the requirement.Soon after the Satya Niketan incident, a high-level meeting, chaired by lieutenant governor TS Sandhu and attended by CM, was held to examine the issue. Education minister Ashish Sood recently promised a student delegation that govt would introduce comprehensive legislation and regulations for paying guest accommodations within two months. The policy, being drafted by an 18-member high-level committee, is likely to introduce mandatory licences for PGs, zone-wise rent bands, structural and fire-safety audits, and a central portal listing rents, amenities and compliance details.
