New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- Delhi is set to get its first central database of students and paying guest (PG) accommodations, with Education and Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday announcing that students across universities will be mapped and PG facilities brought onto a registration portal within 15 days. The move comes in the wake of the Satya Niketan PG collapse that claimed seven
lives and has put the spotlight on the safety and regulation of student accommodation in the capital.
Sood chaired the first meeting of a 20-member High-Powered Committee on Student Accommodation and Safety, constituted by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu to address the shortage of student housing and strengthen safety standards.
The committee has been given 60 days to submit its recommendations. At its maiden meeting, it decided that a portal would be developed within 15 days to map student data across universities and educational institutions in Delhi.
A separate registration portal will be created for PG owners, requiring them to provide details including the age of their buildings, structural information and fire safety arrangements. The government will use the exercise to build a central database of student accommodation and assess the gap between demand and available hostel facilities.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Urban Development Department will identify land parcels that can be used to construct new hostels. The committee will also examine whether higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) permissions can be allowed on university campuses to facilitate hostel expansion.
Another proposal is to repurpose under-utilised government or DDA properties for student accommodation. Vacant government housing in Narela has been identified as one possible option, subject to public transport connectivity and suitability.
The committee will also work on a new regulatory framework for PGs, including mandatory registration, regulation of lease agreements, measures against arbitrary electricity surcharges and possible zone-wise rent bands. The Training and
Technical Education department and other stakeholders will be involved in drafting the rules. Safety measures under consideration include mandatory structural audits, fire safety inspections, emergency evacuation procedures and regular mock drills for students and PG operators. A centralised digital grievance system is also proposed to allow students to report overcrowding, structural hazards and lease violations, with complaints to be addressed within a defined timeframe. The 20-member panel includes senior officials such as the Chief Secretary, Delhi Police Commissioner, MCD Commissioner, NDMC chairperson and DDA vice-chairperson, along with officials from the Home, Revenue, Health, Urban Development, Law and PWD departments. Vice-chancellors of Delhi University, GGSIPU, Ambedkar University Delhi, NSUT and DTU are also part of the committee. Sood said the government was seeking a balance between regulation and practical implementation.
"The Delhi Government is committed to creating a safe and secure environment for all students through a practical and balanced regulatory system," he said. The committee will submit its final recommendations within 60 days.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.