DU VC asks colleges to review student housing

Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh on Monday asked college principals to review residential facilities for students and expedite ongoing hostel projects following the collapse of a multi-storey PG accommodation near South Campus that claimed the lives of seven students.  Singh convened a meeting of college principals to discuss the incident and observed a two-minute silence in memory of the deceased.

The VC said the loss of students’ lives was a “massive blow” to the university and assured the affected families that the university stood ready to provide all possible assistance. He urged principals to explore the feasibility of constructing new hostels, assess available space and Government schemes and prepare plans wherever possible.

“Prof Yogesh Singh stated that the aim should be to provide residential facilities to the maximum number of students,” the university said in a statement.

The meeting came as student organisations intensified protests demanding accountability over the collapse and the safety of students living in private accommodations.

Meanwhile, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College principal Gyantosh Kumar Jha said that the college had received information about two students who were staying at the collapsed PG building, one of whom, identified as Arpit Jha, a second-year B Com student from Ganganagar in Rajasthan, had died. The other student was injured and undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, he said.

Jha said the college had been in constant touch with students living in Satya Niketan and had arranged food, water and accommodation for those who needed assistance. “Some students have been sent safely to their local guardians,” he said.

He added that the college was also making arrangements for students whose PGs had been closed following the incident. Asked whether the lack of hostel facilities had forced students to live in private PGs, Jha said colleges could not provide hostel accommodation to all students.

“Every college has almost 5,000 students. Hostel facilities cannot be provided for all students,” he said, adding that the college was seriously considering ways to expand residential facilities in the future. The collapse has raised concerns over the safety of private PG accommodations in student-dominated areas and the availability of affordable housing for university students.