The University of Delhi has approved a Rs 5,889 crore plan to expand its hostel infrastructure, with new construction and redevelopment projects expected to provide accommodation for 21,895 students. The proposal was cleared at the university's 1,284th Executive Council meeting, chaired by Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh.
According to the PTI, the university has earmarked Rs 4,027 crore for new hostel buildings, which are expected to accommodate 15,758 students. Another Rs 1,862 crore has been allocated for reconstructing Jubilee Hall and the PG Men's Hostel, which together will house 6,137 students.
Singh said the proposed buildings had been designed to meet future requirements, with long-term planning guiding the expansion. He noted that the circumstances in which the existing hostels were built differed from those anticipated for the coming decades, and that the new infrastructure was being planned with a 100-year perspective.
The expansion will cover several university locations. Additional multi-storey hostel blocks are planned at the Dhaka Complex, Surajmal Vihar campus and Najafgarh campus.
Hostels for male and female students are also proposed at Veer Savarkar College in Roshanpura, Najafgarh, as well as at the university's West Campus in Dwarka and East Campus in Surajmal Vihar, Karkardooma.
The proposed complexes will include dining halls, shops, common rooms, reading rooms and residential facilities for wardens.
With vacant land limited across its campuses, the Executive Council has decided to make maximum use of the permissible floor area ratio (FAR) while designing the hostel buildings.
Singh also clarified that Jubilee Hall and the PG Men's Hostel would retain their existing names after reconstruction.
The Executive Council has encouraged colleges to prepare proposals for hostel construction on their own campuses and submit them to the funding agency.
With inputs of PTI
