Out of Satya Niketan, into same trap: students struggle for safer stay in Delhi

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:17:00 +0000

Students leaving Satya Niketan in search of safer living conditions are finding that paying more does not necessarily buy them safety. Even after spending up to ₹20,000 a month, many are ending up in cramped rooms in ageing buildings, with poor ventilation, inadequate facilities and little assurance about structural safety.

The building collapse a few days ago has prompted students to look beyond Satya Niketan, with many exploring areas such as Vasant Gaon, Naraina and Mayapuri, as well as neighbourhoods with easy access to metro stations.

However, for those on limited budgets, the search has often led to the same compromises they were trying to escape. As a result, many have already returned to their hometowns, missing classes.

Cost of education

For newcomers, the economic cost of education begins not with college fees but with finding private accommodation. In student hubs, rooms are available for ₹8,000 to ₹21,000 a month, often with little difference in the facilities offered.

“I have paid ₹48,000 [including deposit] in the first month itself for accommodation. My college fee is ₹27,000, payable in instalments throughout the year. Besides this, I also need to cover my personal expenses. My father, a mechanic, has managed the money with difficulty,” said Priyam Khushwaha, a first-year student from Uttar Pradesh.

Karan Mahajan, a second-year student from Punjab, said Vasant Gaon and Naraina have cheaper accommodation with slightly bigger rooms, but no one can guarantee safety there either.

“The only way to break the cycle of poor conditions is to rent a flat and arrange for food, laundry, etc. on your own,” he added.

Most accommodations offer a single room with two beds placed close together, a cupboard and a washroom. Food and water are included in the rent, but electricity is charged separately, with some accommodations charging as much as ₹14 per unit.

“Room rent can vary from floor to floor in a single building. Rent agreements take no responsibility in case of an emergency, and no refund or return policy is mentioned in such cases. The rooms are shared by two persons, with each room in a five-storey building fetching the owners at least ₹30,000. Despite that, what we get in the name of food is deplorable. The buildings are full of cube-like structures separated by plywood,” said Kapilesh Yadav, a third-year DU student from Haryana.

Caught in the trap

Newcomers to the city are the first to fall into the “trap”.

“As a fresher, the only thing on your mind is to find a place to dump your luggage and sleep at night. The rooms are marketed as the best thing available, and if you point out faults, the managers simply say, ‘Leave, we will find someone else,’” said Ankita Sharma, a first-year student who moved to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh a week ago.

“It took me at least 15-20 visits to find the current PG where I am staying. I pay ₹20,000 for a basic room and electricity is paid for through a monthly recharge. In the first two days, I got scammed when my electricity bill showed ₹600. An average student here pays around ₹1,500 a month for electricity,” she said.

The cracks and structural faults come to light after a few months, and students cannot vacate immediately because of an 11-month rent agreement.

“I vacated my previous PG a year ago after many bad experiences. I am yet to receive my two-month security deposit of ₹30,000,” said Manpreet Kaur, a second-year student from Punjab.

“I was taking a bath one day when a tile fell from the ceiling. Within days, half of the bathroom tiles fell off. When I contacted the PG managers, they said it would be repaired soon. But no repairs were made, and two days later, the exhaust fan fell. I realised it was no longer safe to live there, so I shifted to another PG nearby. The conditions here are better but not ideal,” she added.

The PGs where owners stay in the same building were reported to have better conditions. However, these buildings rise to five or six floors, exceeding permissible limits.

Published – September 09, 2026 12:35 am IST

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Satya Niketan: building collapse exposes a student hub grappling with housing crisis

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 19:42:00 +0000

Rescue operation underway in a congested lane in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Hours after a five-storey building housing a boys’ hostel collapsed in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s (DU) South Campus, killing two students, the spotlight has returned to a neighbourhood that has become one of the Capital’s largest hubs for outstation students. With its location on Ring Road, direct access to the South Campus metro station and proximity to several DU colleges, Satya Niketan has helped bridge the gap between the number of students and affordable housing.

Of the seven colleges around the South Campus, Shri Venkateswara College, Jesus and Mary College, Maitri College, ARSD College, Ram Lal Anand College, Motilal Nehru College and Aryabhatta College, only two have hostel facilities. Shri Venkateswara College has around 175 hostel seats, while Maitri College has just 27, leaving many students to rely on private paying guest (PG) accommodations in the neighbourhood.

Most of the colony’s original residents have moved away, giving way to matchbox-sized apartments converted into PG accommodations, not all of which comply with civic regulations. In the aftermath of the building collapse, civic authorities removed PG signboards across the neighbourhood as part of an enforcement drive.

Despite its crumbling infrastructure, students pay around ₹13,000 a month for a shared room with three meals a day in the colony’s narrow lanes lined with cafés, dhabas, gyms and coaching centres. By comparison, the annual cost of studying at a DU college ranges from ₹15,000 to ₹80,000, depending on the course and college.

A different sight

Sunny Gupta, who grew up in the colony, said 25 years ago there were only a handful of PG accommodations and a few commercial establishments.

“It was mostly a residential area. Due to the nearby colleges and the lack of hostels on college campuses, residential houses gradually gave way to PG accommodations, along with cafés and commercial establishments. Only a handful of the original residents continue to live in the area,” he said.

The building collapse, however, has brought renewed attention to how the colony has transformed amid the student housing crisis.

Students said that high demand allows PG owners to pack tenants into cramped rooms with little or no ventilation. “PG owners have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude because they know there is huge demand. They raise prices on a whim because they know no bed will go empty. In some rooms, the beds are placed inches apart,” said Gitika Jha, an outstation student.

According to preliminary reports, construction work was under way in the basement of the building that collapsed to expand its capacity. “Every year, a new batch of students comes to DU looking for a place close to college. They are new to the city, and Satya Niketan lures them with its convenience. Most girls move out in their second year once they know the city better and factor in travel time to college,” said Prachi Goyal, who spent two years in a PG near the collapsed building.