Affordable, safe hostels for students Delhi govt's new focus: CM Rekha Gupta

The Delhi government will develop hostel facilities for 10,000 students and is drafting a policy on student accommodation after the Satya Niketan tragedy, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Tuesday. The move comes amid growing demand for more state-run accommodation for students who come to the city in large numbers every year.CM Gupta said meetings with the departments concerned have already been held and locations for the hostels have been identified. She said the facilities will be for both male and female students and will be open to students from any college or university in Delhi.HOSTELS FOR 10,000 STUDENTSIn a video shared on her X handle, she said, "We will develop such hostels where parents can leave their children with complete peace of mind, regardless of which state they come from and the students also will not have to worry and can concentrate on their dreams."She said it was important to meet hostel requirements for colleges and universities if Delhi is to emerge as a bigger education hub of the country. She added that lakhs of students come to Delhi for admissions to different institutions but do not get hostel facilities. "The Delhi government has decided to construct hostels for 10,000 students to ensure their safety, security and economical accommodation will be taken care of," the chief minister said.Initially, 10,000 students will be provided fully equipped hostel facilities by our government, and work towards this is already underway.Every student who comes to Delhi carries a dream in their eyes, years of hard work behind them and the hopes of a family back home. Our pic.twitter.com/pI7BNOIaqN— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) September 15, 2026MOVE FOLLOWS SATYA NIKETAN TRAGEDYThe decision follows the collapse of a five-storeyed paying guest accommodation in Satya Niketan, in the Delhi University South Campus area, in which seven people, including five students, were killed. The lack of proper hostel facilities in Delhi has come under sharper focus after the incident, with students forced to live in PG hubs across the city while paying high rents for poor amenities.COMMITTEE TO FRAME HOSTEL POLICYSoon after the Satya Niketan tragedy, a high-level meeting chaired by Lt Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu was held, with CM Rekha Gupta also present. At the meeting, Sandhu directed that a committee headed by Education Minister Ashish Sood frame a policy on the issue.An 18-member committee has since been constituted with the approval of the lieutenant governor to assess the demand-supply gap in residential facilities for students and ensure land availability for hostel development.The LG has also directed officials to explore the feasibility of using vacant government land and buildings for student accommodation.The Delhi government plans to create hostel capacity for 10,000 students while framing a wider policy to improve safe and affordable accommodation for students in the city.(With PTI inputs)- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 15, 2026 17:48 IST