New Delhi: Days after a five-storey student accommodation in Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapsed, killing seven people, Delhi University is set to double its hostel capacity, taking the combined number of beds at the university and its colleges to 12,754.
University Plans Major Hostel Expansion
The university has announced that its hostel expansion over the past four to five years will result in more than double its overall capacity. Additionally, the institution intends to submit several new hostel projects for government approval.
The accommodation gap also was taken up at the Delhi High Court, on Wednesday when the court issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government and DU on a PIL seeking a time-bound policy for developing hostel facilities and asking that hostel accommodation be provided across DU colleges. In South Campus, areas around colleges such as Sri Venkateswara College, Motilal Nehru College, Aryabhatta College and Ram Lal Anand College have a substantial student-rental ecosystem. In North Campus, Mukherjee Nagar and Hudson Lane are similarly important hubs for student accommodation.
Because university accommodation is limited, satya Niketan is one of several neighbourhoods around DU campuses where students, particularly those from outside Delhi, rely heavily on private PGs. DU currently has 3,422 hostel seats at the university level. It plans to add 3,922 seats, taking the figure to 7,344. Across its colleges, another 1,622 seats will be added to the existing 3,788, taking the total to 5,410. The matter is scheduled to be heard on September 25 along with another plea seeking regulation of PG and hostel facilities in Delhi.
