By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
NEW DELHI: Delhi Education Minister Shri Ashish Sood has said that providing safe, secure and reasonably priced paying guest (PG) accommodation to students is the government’s responsibility, as the Delhi Government moves ahead with plans to frame a comprehensive regulatory framework for PGs in the national capital.
Sood held a stakeholder consultation with PG owners, operators and managers to understand their operational concerns and perspectives before drafting new laws governing student accommodation.
“Following the recent unfortunate incident in Delhi, the process of regulating PGs and formulating new laws for them is ongoing,” Sood said, adding that the government had first engaged with students and residents to understand their concerns and was now consulting PG operators and owners.
“Before drafting any new law, our government is engaging with everyone through stakeholder consultations. This is true participatory governance,” he said.
Sood said the government’s priority was to ensure access to “safe, secure, reliable, and reasonably priced PG accommodations” in Delhi.
“Over 600,000 students come to Delhi every year from various places. Providing safe housing to the majority of them who reside in PGs is our responsibility,” he said.
The latest consultation follows Sood’s interaction with students living in PG accommodations on September 8. Students had raised concerns over arbitrary electricity charges, high rents, inadequate security and unverified landlords.
On September 15, Sood chaired the first meeting of a newly constituted 20-member High-Powered Committee on Student Accommodation and Safety. The committee discussed measures including standard rental contracts, mandatory municipal registration through a centralised ‘GovPG’ portal, structural and fire-safety audits, and fair pricing mechanisms.
The Delhi Government aims to finalise and introduce the regulatory framework and guidelines in the coming weeks, with the stated objective of safeguarding the interests of more than six lakh students who migrate to Delhi for education.
