New Delhi: Amid the growing demand for student housing in the city, Delhi govt may explore allowing paying guest (PG) accommodation in residential colonies where its operation is restricted.Education minister Ashish Sood said the proposal was under consideration and all aspects of its implementation would be examined in consultation with stakeholders, including residents welfare associations (RWAs), before taking a decision.Officials said PG accommodation was not permitted in certain A and B category colonies, considered safe residential areas. RWAs in some residential societies also oppose such facilities. Sood said these limitations needed to be examined alongside the demand for student housing and the options available.“If students cannot find accommodation in established residential colonies, they may go wherever they find a place, including unauthorised colonies,” he said. Describing the demand as “enormous and effectively unlimited”, Sood added, “If someone wants to operate a PG legally in a safe residential colony, including a category A or B area, they could have an opportunity to do so legitimately.”Such a move would require a review of existing laws and planning provisions. “It is being considered. Several existing laws contribute to this situation. We may need amendments to Delhi Municipal Corporation Act and changes to the master plan. We will have to approach Govt of India as well,” Sood said.An official of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said a high-powered committee chaired by Sood was examining these issues.To assess accommodation requirements, govt will also launch a unified portal within the next three to four days. Developed by Netaji Subhas University of Technology in coordination with MCD, it will collect data on students living in the city and PG facilities to help authorities plan accommodation and formulate regulations.Meanwhile, around 100 buildings have been identified for structural audits and Sood said the process would take approximately another week.He added, “We are creating a single database to establish how many students live in Delhi, how many PG accommodations are required and where they are located.”Referring to the building collapse in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus, the minister said authorities had struggled to ascertain the exact number of occupants after the incident. Reliable data, he said, was essential to determine how many students are there in a PG, how many govt needed to construct, how many PG facilities should operate and what regulations should govern them.Govt is also working on a draft policy for PG accommodation, with the committee examining the regulatory issues and necessary legislative and planning changes. “But it will take all stakeholders to come together,” Sood said.
