New Delhi: A Delhi government committee on student safety and accommodation has decided to develop a central portal to map the data of students across universities and higher education institutions in the city within 15 days.
Also, the urban development department and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will identify suitable land parcels for building new student hostels.
These were the key decisions taken at the debut meeting of the high-powered committee chaired by the Delhi education and urban development minister, Ashish Sood, on Tuesday.
“The meeting focused on developing a coordinated approach towards making student accommodation safer, more accessible and better regulated, while strengthening safety measures and facilities for students,” the minister said.
Owners of paying guest (PG) facilities will need to register their properties on the portal and provide details of the age of the buildings, their size and structure as well as fire-safety measures in place.
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The committee will also work on framing new laws and regulations governing PG accommodation in the city. Officials said all stakeholders, including the training and technical education department, will be involved in drafting the regulatory framework.
The committee will also assess the gap between student intake and existing hostel capacity and explore higher floor area ratio permissions to expand accommodation within university campuses.
Student safety will be another focus, with structural and fire-safety audits, emergency evacuation protocols and regular mock drills proposed for accommodation facilities.
Lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu had formed the high-level committee to review and address an acute shortage, poor safety standards and lack of regulation of student housing facilities across the city.
The committee has been given 60 days to submit its final recommendations.