DU to build portal to keep track of students in PGs, frame norms

The database will help the university work with authorities and PG operators on standards and a memorandum of understanding after a fatal building collapse.

Delhi University will develop a dedicated portal to maintain records of students residing in paying guest (PG) accommodations, including details of rent paid, the condition of facilities, and other relevant information. The database will serve as a repository for the university to engage with relevant authorities, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), to develop a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PG accommodation providers in the vicinity of the university and its colleges.

The action follows the September 6 collapse of a five-storey building housing a boys’ PG in Satya Niketan, which claimed 7 lives (HT)

“The members discussed the development of the dedicated portal for student accommodation through which students could register their details and requirements of PG accommodation,” minutes of the meeting of the eight-member committee chaired by South Campus Director Professor Rajni Abbi accessed by HT stated.

Speaking to HT, committee member Professor KP Singh said the university maintains a detailed database of students residing in each hostel, but similar information is not readily available for those living in paying guest (PG) accommodations. “Some PG operators approached us, but we decided that the first step should be to collect all relevant information about where all these students live and in what situation under what rent. This would be followed by consultations with other authorities to develop a standard operating procedure (SoP) defining safe accommodation and draft a memorandum of understanding (MoU),” he said.

Following the September 6 collapse of a five-storey building housing a boys’ PG in Satya Niketan, which claimed seven lives, including those of DU students, and left five others injured, the university constituted an eight-member committee on September 9. The committee was tasked with submitting its recommendations, along with a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU), within a month.

Accommodation portal (HT PRINT)

“A committee comprising of the following members has been constituted to explore the possibilities of PG accommodation in the vicinity of the university and its colleges,” a notification signed by DU Registrar Vikas Gupta dated September 9 had stated. “The committee shall also examine the availability of statutory approvals and necessary clearances from the concerned statutory bodies,” the notification had added.

Other recommendations by the committee included converting Type-I employee accommodation at the university’s Reids Line and Dhaka campuses, where around 65 flats have remained vacant for the past five years, into student housing. The committee also suggested approaching state government bhawans to arrange accommodation for students coming from different states.

Singh, who also heads the DU Postgraduate Men’s Hostel, said he had converted six flats previously allotted to Group-D staff into student accommodation, creating space for around 25 additional hostel residents. “These flats were lying vacant and have now been renovated. The allotment of accommodation to around 25 students will begin from November 1,” he said. He further added that a suggestion has been made to the estate section of the university to identify such facilities and allocate them for student housing.