The Delhi government is preparing to launch an online portal to map student PGs across the city, in a move aimed at identifying where students live and bringing the fragmented accommodation sector under a formal regulatory framework. The portal will initially record locations, room numbers and available amenities.
The decision was taken at the second meeting of the High-Powered Committee on Student Accommodation and Safety, chaired by Education Minister Ashish Sood. The committee was constituted after the Satya Niketan incident to develop regulations for paying guest accommodations and hostels in Delhi.
Delhi University and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will conduct a dry run of the portal within two to four days, according to the government. After the trial, the government plans to launch a campaign encouraging students to register their accommodation details.
“Progress was made on creating a portal to capture data on students and paying guest accommodations. We will be launching the portal very soon so that it is known where children are living in Delhi and in what kind of accommodation, enabling us to regulate them,” Sood said after the meeting.
The proposed system is intended to create a basic citywide inventory of student housing, an area that has so far operated across multiple property types and neighbourhoods. The government has not yet announced the portal’s final launch date or the complete set of information that accommodation operators and students will be required to submit.
The committee also decided to form a sub-committee with representatives from the Delhi Development Authority, the Delhi government, the MCD and the vice-chancellor of Delhi University. It will examine whether existing provisions in the Master Plan and the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act can be relaxed to enable legal PG operations.
Among the issues to be examined is the possibility of allowing regulated PG housing within a 5–6 km radius of major educational hubs, as well as in group housing societies and areas governed by resident welfare associations. The proposed review is intended to address restrictions that may prevent student accommodation from operating legally in locations close to colleges and universities.
The MCD and the DDA will inspect 100 PG accommodations within three days, the committee decided. The inspection programme is expected to provide the authorities with an initial assessment of the conditions in student housing facilities while broader regulations are being drafted.
The proposed norms include CCTV cameras in common areas and at entrances. Comprehensive regulations for student housing in Delhi are still under preparation, and the committee’s sub-committee will examine the legal and planning provisions that apply to PG operations before further decisions are taken.
