Delhi University approves Rs 5,889 crore mega plan to expand student hostels

The Delhi University has approved a Rs 5,889 crore proposal to expand residential facilities for 21,895 students through the construction of new hostels and reconstruction of two existing ones. 

The proposal was approved at the 1284th meeting of the Executive Council, chaired by Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh.

According to the proposal passed by the ECI, new hostels will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 4,027 crore, providing additional accommodation for 15,758 students. Additionally, a proposal to reconstruct two existing hostels was passed, with an estimated cost of Rs 1,862 crore; this will provide residential facilities for 6,137 students.

Additional multi-storey hostel buildings are planned at the university’s Dhaka Complex, Surajmal Vihar campus and Najafgarh campus. The Dhaka Complex accounts for the largest share of the proposed construction. The university has proposed two Y-shaped hostel buildings, one for male students and the other for female students, each with a capacity of 4,836 residents.

Both projects are estimated to cost around Rs 1,130 crore each. The plan also includes dedicated accommodation for working women and women students at the Dhaka Complex. Two facilities, each with a proposed capacity of 1,674 residents, are planned at an estimated cost of `400 crore per project. Another undergraduate hostel with a capacity of 3,162 students has been proposed at the Dhaka Complex, with an estimated cost of Rs 678 crore.

Outside the Dhaka Complex, the proposed projects include a hostel facility at the East Campus in Surajmal Vihar, which is expected to accommodate 2,340 students at a cost of Rs 725 crore. Hostels at Najafgarh and the West Campus are also planned, with a combined capacity of 2,072 students and an estimated expenditure of Rs 694 crore.

Hostels for male and female students will also be constructed at Veer Savarkar College in Roshanpura, Najafgarh; at the university’s West Campus in Dwarka; and at the East Campus in Surajmal Vihar, Karkardooma. The proposed hostel complexes will include dining halls, shops, common rooms, reading rooms and residences for wardens.

Alongside new construction, DU plans to redevelop existing hostel facilities to increase their capacity. The proposed reconstruction projects are expected to provide accommodation to more than 10,000 students. The iconic Jubilee Hall Hostel is proposed to be demolished and replaced with a 32-storey building that can accommodate around 3,800 students. The project is estimated to cost Rs 1,225.59 crore. The university has also proposed reconstructing the PG Men’s Hostel as a high-rise building with accommodation for approximately 2,337 students. The International Student House is another facility identified for redevelopment. The proposed reconstructed building is expected to accommodate around 3,300 students.

Responding to a query, Singh clarified that the names of any existing hostels would not be changed upon their reconstruction. Singh said that the names of Jubilee Hall and the PG Men’s Hostel would remain unchanged after their reconstruction.

Singh said the designs for the buildings had been prepared keeping the needs of the 21st century in mind, with planning undertaken from a long-term perspective. He said the circumstances under which the university’s existing hostels were built were different from those expected in the future, and the new infrastructure was being planned with the next 100 years in view.

Given the scarcity of vacant land on the university’s campuses, the Executive Council decided that hostel blocks would be designed to make maximum use of the permissible Floor Area Ratio (FAR). These blocks will also include amenities such as dining halls, shops, common rooms, reading rooms, and warden residences. Hostel complexes across the three campuses have been planned with these requirements in mind.

The Executive Council urged colleges to prepare proposals for constructing hostels on their respective campuses and submit them to the funding agency.

The proposed expansion comes amid concerns about the limited availability of affordable, safe accommodation for Delhi University students. The university has more than 2.5 lakh students, while its existing hostel facilities can house only a small proportion of the total student population. As a result, many students, particularly those arriving in Delhi from other states, depend on private paying guest accommodation, rented rooms and shared flats. Housing costs, availability and safety remain important considerations for students seeking admission to colleges across the university.

The issue has drawn renewed attention following the September 6 collapse of a paying guest accommodation building in Satya Niketan, Delhi. The incident brought into focus concerns about the safety of private residential facilities used by students.