With college, it's home hunting too

NEW DELHI: For outstation students, "college work" doesn't end at getting admission but extends to finding suitable accommodation as well. There aren't enough hostels in DU for outstation students. However, several paying guest options are available, ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 16,000 and varying in amenities.
Outstation students are keen to get a seat in the college hostels.Some colleges have hostels only for girls, some for boys and some for both. SGTB Khalsa, LSR and Miranda House are in the first category of hostels, while Hindu College, Hans Raj and KMC fall in the second. The last category comprises SRCC, Ramjas, St Stephen's and Sri Venkateswara College. But hostels have limited seats.
"Students studying in North Campus look for PGs around Kamla Nagar and Jawahar Nagar. Mukherjee Nagar and Hudson lane are mostly occupied by students taking coaching for competitive exams," said Sudhir Chauhan, a property dealer.
A clean, comfortable and friendly environment is what we all look for in a residence. Location plays a major role in determining the cost of PG but a stronger determinant is number of occupants in a particular room. A single-seater room is the costliest ranging from Rs 14,000 to Rs 16,000 a month. Such rooms are provided with food, laundry facility, Wi-Fi and air-conditioner. According to Rahul Jain, a landlord in Jawahar Nagar, "Electricity bill of every room is paid separately by the students. AC is charged at Rs 8-9 per unit."
Double-seater rooms are available at Rs 12,000-13,000 per month. Such PGs generally lack laundry facility. "Triple and four-seater rooms cost about Rs 8,000-9,500. They are provided with a cooler but some don't have Wi-Fi connectivity. Most of the PGs provide for a common kitchen area with water purifier, refrigerator and cooking gas," said Manmeet, a PG owner.
In South Campus, most students prefer Satya Niketan and Anand Niketan. Rates of single-seater go up to Rs 11,000 a month. This includes meals but there are similar rooms at Rs 9,000. There is no Wi-Fi and AC, if provided, has to be paid for separately.
A new trend visible among second and third-year students is shifting from PGs to flats. The rent of flats depends upon their location and facilities.
Fully-furnished flats near North Campus range from Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 a month whereas non-furnished ones cost about Rs 20,000, commonly shared by four to five students. South Campus has many flats ranging from Rs 8,000 a month to Rs 30,000. "In flats, everything is managed by students, right from maintenance to food and electricity," Ravinder Singh, a landlord in Satya Niketan, said.