DU clears ₹5,889 crore hostel plan after Satya Niketan tragedy: Can it ease varsity’s accommodation crisis? | Today’s news
Delhi University Executive Council has approved hostel projects worth ₹5,889 crore, designing new residential facilities and refurbishing two existing hostels to expand student accommodation amid the ongoing shortage of affordable housing.
The approvals, approved at a special meeting on Tuesday, include ₹4,027 crore for the new hostels is expected to accommodate 15,758 students and ₹1,862 crore for the renovation of two existing hostels with a proposed capacity of 6,137 students, Hindustan Times reported.
The university said the projects would together provide accommodation for 21,895 students. However, the proposals will have to be cleared by the Union Ministry of Education for grant of subsidy before they can proceed.
The new approval comes as several previously announced hostel projects remain delayed due to funding constraints and construction issues, raising questions about how quickly the proposed capacity can be added.
What did DU approve?
Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh said the proposals have been approved by the university’s highest statutory decision-making body and will now be forwarded to the Union Education Ministry for approval.
The new construction plan includes two more hostels for the Institute of Eminence hostels in Dhaka University Complex, separate boys and girls hostels at Veer Savarkar College in Roshanpura, Najafgarh and male and female hostels in DU West Campus in Dwarka and Najafgarh and East Campus in Surajmal Vihar, Kardardooma.
The university is also planning to renovate the Jubilee Hall and Postgraduate Men’s Dormitory to increase their capacity.
Two existing dormitories for conversion
Established in 1947, Jubilee Hall currently holds 212 students. According to the reconstruction plan, accommodation for 3,795 students is proposed.
Built in 1975 and currently accommodating 100 students, the graduate men’s dormitory has a capacity of 2,337 students after remodeling.
“Earlier university hostels were built differently than what was expected in the future, hence planning with a view of the next 100 years is planned,” Singh said, adding that the names of the existing hostels will remain unchanged after the renovation.
Earlier hostel projects are still facing delays
The new approvals come as DU continues to face delays in implementing previously announced residential projects.
Two projects in Dhaka complex — girls hostel/studio apartment complex estimated price ₹233.35 crore and Hostel-cum-Residential Block fixed at ₹318 million – remains outstanding.
A university official told HT that both the projects are expected to be completed by December 2028.
The Nirbhaya residential accommodation project, also located in the Dhaka complex, has seen an estimated cost increase from ₹272 million crowns ₹400 million crowns. Funding from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development is yet to be released, the official said.
“We have made several attempts to approach the women and child development minister, but the funds have not been released yet,” a senior university official told HT on condition of anonymity.
Can the plan ease DU’s housing shortage?
Delhi University has more than 251,000 students, including about 71,600 undergraduate students admitted in recent years, with about half of its students coming from outside Delhi, according to reports.
Prior to the latest proposal, the official university accommodation infrastructure across its colleges and departments offered around 7,224 beds – reportedly around 3,688 in undergraduate halls of residence and 3,536 in postgraduate university halls of residence.
The proposed capacity of 21,895 students would significantly expand this infrastructure if all projects are completed. However, these are planned places, not accommodation currently available to students.
Even if the entire proposed capacity is provided, many students outside Delhi are likely to continue to rely on private Paying Guest (PG) facilities and rented accommodation.
Safety concerns have also drawn attention to the conditions in which students live outside university dormitories.
On September 6, a five-storey building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area reportedly collapsed, killing seven people and seriously injuring several others.
Read also | Tragedy of Satya Niketan: Good Samaritan offers free shelter to displaced students
The 40 to 50-year-old building, locally known as “Daze Hostel”, was said to be used as private accommodation for boys and housed students due to its proximity to DU’s South Campus.
The incident underscored the importance of safe and affordable student housing, although the extent to which it influenced the university’s latest decision has not been determined.
