The Delhi government will launch an online portal to map paying guest (PG) accommodations used by students across the national capital and inspect 100 identified properties over three days to assess safety standards and compliance with existing laws.
Education Minister Ashish Sood announced the measures after chairing the second meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) on Student Accommodation and Safety on Thursday, October 8. The committee was formed following the collapse of a five-storey building in Satya Niketan on September 6, which killed seven people, including five Delhi University students.
The portal is intended to help authorities identify where students live and collect information about their accommodation. In its initial phase, it will record basic details such as the number of rooms and amenities available at each property. Delhi University and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are expected to test the portal within two to four days, followed by a government campaign to encourage student registration.
Inspections and proposed safety measures
Joint teams from the MCD and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will inspect 100 identified PG properties over the next three days. The inspections will assess safety arrangements and compliance with existing legal requirements.
The committee also discussed a proposal to make CCTV cameras mandatory at entry and exit points and in common areas of PG accommodations, with recordings retained for 40 to 45 days. The proposed requirement is intended to strengthen monitoring while keeping private spaces outside surveillance. The measure was discussed as part of the proposed regulatory framework and should not be treated as an existing rule.
Panel to review rules governing PG operations
The committee has decided to form a sub-committee comprising representatives from the DDA, the Delhi government, the MCD and the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University. It will examine restrictions under the Master Plan for Delhi and the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, that may affect the legal operation of PG accommodations.
The panel will consider whether regulatory relaxations could allow authorised PG facilities within a five-to-six-kilometre radius of major educational hubs, as well as in group housing societies and areas governed by resident welfare associations (RWAs). These are proposals for review, not approved changes to existing rules.
The review comes amid concerns about the availability and regulation of student housing in areas such as Satya Niketan, Mukherjee Nagar and Ber Sarai, where students rely on private accommodation near educational institutions. The Indian Express has reported that a shortage of official university hostels and land-use restrictions have contributed to the growth of informal PG arrangements in residential areas.
The High-Powered Committee is expected to meet again after Dussehra to review the sub-committee’s findings and finalise the draft regulatory framework. A report in The Indian Express said officials expected the draft of the proposed Paying Guest Accommodation Regulation and Safety Bill, 2026, to be finalised within two weeks.
