By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
New Delhi, September 15: Delhi Education and Urban Development Minister Shri Ashish Sood has taken the lead in a comprehensive initiative to make student accommodation across the national capital safer, more accessible and better regulated, chairing the first meeting of a 20-member High-Powered Committee on Student Accommodation and Safety.
The committee, constituted by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, will provide policy direction, ensure coordination among government agencies and submit its final recommendations within 60 days. The panel brings together senior officials from the Delhi administration, police, civic bodies, fire services and leading universities.
The meeting under Sood’s chairmanship delivered a clear 15-day action timeline for two key digital initiatives. A central portal will be developed to map student data across universities and educational institutions, while a separate portal will enable paying guest (PG) owners to register their properties and provide details of building age, structure size and fire-safety measures.
The committee will also identify suitable land parcels for new student hostels, with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Urban Development Department tasked with examining available options. Under-utilised government and DDA properties, including vacant housing in Narela, will also be assessed for possible conversion into hostels, with public transport connectivity taken into consideration.
A major component of the exercise is the proposed overhaul of PG regulation. The committee will work towards a mandatory registration framework and central database covering institutional and private PG accommodation. It will examine lease agreements, arbitrary electricity surcharges and the introduction of zone-wise rent bands.
Sood has also placed structural and fire safety at the centre of the proposed framework. Mandatory structural audits, fire-safety checks, emergency evacuation protocols and regular mock drills for PG operators and students are among the measures under consideration.
The committee will further establish a centralised digital grievance dashboard, allowing students to report overcrowding, safety hazards and lease violations and seek time-bound resolution.
The panel is tasked with assessing the demand-supply gap in university hostels against student inflow and exploring higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) permissions for expansion on university campuses.
The committee includes the Chief Secretary of Delhi, Delhi Police Commissioner, MCD Commissioner, NDMC Chairperson, DDA Vice-Chairperson, senior departmental secretaries and the Chief Fire Officer. Vice-Chancellors of Delhi University, GGSIPU, Ambedkar University Delhi, NSUT and DTU are also part of the panel, with the Principal Secretary/Secretary of Education serving as Member Secretary.
The maiden meeting was attended by senior administrative and police officials, civic authorities, university Vice-Chancellors and the Principal Secretary (Education), reflecting the multi-agency approach being adopted for the initiative.
Sood emphasised that the Delhi Government is committed to creating a safe and secure environment for students through a practical and balanced regulatory system. He said the meeting focused on providing safe, accessible and better student accommodation while strengthening safety measures and facilities across the capital.
The initiative places a student-first approach at the heart of Delhi’s efforts to build a safer and more supportive higher education ecosystem. The 15-day deadlines for the two portals and the 60-day deadline for the committee’s recommendations underline the time-bound framework being pursued under Sood’s leadership.
