Not enough room on DU campus

NEW DELHI: Delhi University (DU) attracts a large number of outstation candidates. According to an estimate, over 12,000 students from outside Delhi - particularly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and the North Eastern states - seek admission to DU colleges every year.
As if the admission itself isn''t tough enough, these students also have to compete for hostel accommodation.
Of the 79 DU colleges, only 11 offer residential facilities, mostly to undergraduate (UG) students. For postgraduate (PG) and research students, DU has seven hostels for men and five hostels for women. The cumulative number of hostel seats for UG and PG students is about a dismal 4,000.
While allotment of hostel seats in most colleges is merit-based, some students feel that the procedure should also take into consideration the financial background.
Rajat Ranjan, a first year MBA student at the Faculty of Management Studies and a former resident of the Hansraj college hostel, however suggested otherwise.
"It''s arguable whether financial background should get precedence over geographical distance or vice versa. Merit-based admission is the only logical alternative," he said.
The dean of colleges at DU, Kiran Datar agrees that hostel facilities can never be enough to meet the increasing demands. However, she stressed that the university administration is sensitive towards the issue.
The university has recently established an international students'' house for women. "The North Eastern Council has set up a hostel for women in the north campus and another one for men in the south campus. There''s a hostel coming up for the students of Delhi School of Economics, soon. Plans are afoot to construct several PG hostels," informed Datar.
Ranjan, who hails from Ranchi and is currently staying at the VKRV Rao PG Hostel, remarked, "Finding a place at a hostel is a great help. The fee is highly subsidised. One doesn''t really need to bother about food. "
Not many are as fortunate. Unable to get hostel seats, most outstation students end up sharing sub-let flats in congested colonies around the campus such as Mukherjee Nagar, Vijay Nagar, Roop Nagar, Model Town, Hudson Lines and Outram Lines. Monthly rents may range anywhere between Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 depending on the locality and the size and number of rooms.
A final year Economics (honours) student at Hansraj college, Divya Khanna felt that women are the worst hit due to the lack of hostels. "While the areas around the campus may be alright for boys, it''s definitely not safe for girls," she remarked. Khanna is shelling out a "hefty rent" for a flat at Mall Apartments only "because the place is secure."
Meenakshi Bhanga of Rourkela, who''s pursuing LLM degree from the Faculty of Law shares her view. "There''s a real dearth of good hostels for women. Security concerns are the foremost in women''s mind when it comes to looking for a place to live, followed by healthy living conditions," she said.
Datar added, "Recently the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has come up with a very welcome initiative under which land will be allotted to private parties interested in setting up hostels. The exercise will be carried out in consultation with experts from the university. We''ve already nominated a senior professor to advise the DDA on framing of guidelines for the scheme."