LUCKNOW, Sept. 14 -- For every hostel bed at the century-old Lucknow University (LU), there are several students waiting for one. With around 21,000 students enrolled across its two campuses but accommodation for only 2,900, the university's widening hostel gap has come into sharper focus after the collapse of a five-storey paying guest (PG) building in Delhi's Satya Niketan on September 6.

LU, for the moment, is looking to the Uttar Pradesh government to bridge the gap. A proposal for a 350-seater girls' hostel has been approved and construction is expected to begin soon. The university is also preparing a proposal for another hostel, while plans for two more hostels at the second campus have been sent to the government seeking approval...