Delhi Forms 20-Member Panel to Tackle Student Housing Crisis in 60 Days

Delhi has formed a 20-member High-Powered Committee to tackle the shortage of safe, affordable and regulated accommodation for students across the national capital. The committee has been given 60 days to assess the existing situation and prepare recommendations for improving student housing.

Constituted by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, the panel will be headed by the Delhi Education Minister. It includes senior officials such as the Chief Secretary, Delhi Police Commissioner and heads of the New Delhi Municipal Council, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Development Authority.

Officials from the Home, Revenue, Health, Urban Development, Law and Public Works departments will also participate in the committee. The vice-chancellors of Delhi University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dr B R Ambedkar University Delhi, Netaji Subhas University of Technology and Delhi Technological University are among the other members. The Principal Secretary for Education will act as the Member Secretary.

One of the committee's main tasks will be to assess the gap between the number of students looking for accommodation and the hostel facilities currently available through educational institutions. It will explore ways universities and government agencies can increase the supply of student housing.

The panel will also examine whether unused or under-utilised Delhi Development Authority housing and other government properties can be converted into accommodation for students. Government land that could be used for constructing new hostels will also be identified.

The proposed housing plan will include both immediate measures and longer-term construction projects. Universities and educational institutions will be encouraged to develop accommodation that is not only affordable but also properly regulated and equipped with safety measures.

A centralised database covering student accommodation is another major component of the proposed plan. The database could include institutional hostels as well as registered paying-guest facilities, giving authorities a clearer picture of the accommodation available to students across Delhi.

The committee also plans to establish a mechanism through which students can report unsafe conditions, overcrowding, fire hazards and other violations. A digital complaint dashboard is being considered to allow authorities to receive complaints, monitor their status and coordinate action between different departments.

Fire safety and emergency preparedness will form another important part of the recommendations. The committee is expected to propose standard evacuation procedures for hostels and paying-guest accommodation and recommend regular fire and disaster-management drills.

These exercises could involve students, hostel wardens and paying-guest operators, helping make emergency preparedness a routine part of managing student accommodation.

The inclusion of representatives from the police, fire services, health, urban development and civic agencies is intended to create a coordinated approach to student housing and safety. Instead of treating accommodation availability and safety as separate concerns, the committee will examine them together.

The 60-day deadline gives the panel a limited period to assess the housing shortage, identify available resources and develop a roadmap for safer and more affordable student accommodation across Delhi.