MCD nod to infra expansion of Hindu, Hansraj colleges

Two Delhi University colleges — Hindu and Hansraj — have received Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) approval for infrastructure expansion, including new hostels, staff housing, an incubation centre, research labs and an indoor sports hall

Two Delhi University colleges — Hindu and Hansraj — have received Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) approval for infrastructure expansion, including new hostels, staff housing, an incubation centre, research labs and an indoor sports hall.

The expansion includes new hostels, staff housing, an incubation centre, research labs and an indoor sports hall. (Photo for representation)

The MCD’s Standing Committee cleared more than 58 proposals on September 1, including the two colleges’ layout plans for development within their existing campuses.

Hindu College, one of DU’s three original constituent colleges established in 1899, has drawn up plans for multiple new facilities. The expansion includes a girls’ hostel (basement+stilt+9 floors), faculty housing (stilt+8 floors), staff housing (ground+3 floors), an incubation centre (basement+stilt+8 floors), an amphitheatre backstage facility (ground floor only), and a multipurpose indoor sports hall (ground+1 floor), according to an MCD document dated September 1.

Anju Srivastava, principal of Hindu College, told HT that the expansion aims to ease pressure on existing infrastructure and is part of the college’s broader vision plan. The indoor sports hall — the first such facility at the college — will allow students to continue sporting activities despite Delhi’s changing weather, she said.

“Accommodation has been a persistent concern, especially for out-of-station students. The girls’ hostel, built a decade ago, is already inadequate to meet demand. Similarly, the boys’ hostel, which can accommodate 230 students, remains in high demand,” Srivastava said.

She added that the proposed expansion is aimed at meeting the needs of the growing college community. “There are many students who come with strong sporting abilities, and the management felt they should have access to the right facilities on campus. We have not set a fixed timeline for construction yet, but it is certainly something we would like to create,” she said.

Hansraj College, founded in 1948 by the DAV College Managing Committee, has proposed additional floors to its existing academic blocks and a dedicated block for research laboratories. The plan also includes two five-storey hostel buildings each for female and male students, a three-storey staff quarters building, and a six-storey residential block for teaching staff.

According to the MCD document, the proposal includes two hostel blocks (basement+ground+five floors), three staff quarters blocks (ground + three floors), and a research lab on the ground floor. The principal’s residential block will also be modified with additional area, and basements have been proposed under the hostel blocks for parking.

HT reached out to Hansraj College’s principal for a comment, but did not receive a response.

A member of the college’s 2025-26 students’ union, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the limited hostel capacity forces most students to pay high rents for accommodation outside of the campus.

“The existing hostel facilities can accommodate approximately 200 male students and 70 female undergraduate students. During outreach programmes for the freshers’ batch, one of the most frequently raised concerns among parents is hostel accommodation, particularly for female students coming to Delhi for the first time,” the 20-year-old BSc undergraduate student said.

“For parents, having their daughter stay in a college hostel provides a greater sense of security and reassurance,” he added.