The Delhi government on Monday held consultations with paying guest (PG) accommodation owners and operators as it moves to frame new rules for student housing, with education minister Ashish Sood seeking their views on safety, rent, registration and other regulatory issues.
The meeting is part of the government’s exercise to draft a comprehensive PG regulatory policy following concerns raised by students over high rents, arbitrary electricity charges, inadequate security and unverified landlords. More than 600,000 students come to Delhi from across the country every year, many of whom live in PG accommodations, Sood said. The consultation follows the minister’s interaction with students living in PGs on September 8. Their concerns were subsequently taken up by a 20-member High-Powered Committee on Student Accommodation and Safety, which held its first meeting on September 15.
Sood said the government was consulting all stakeholders before finalising the proposed law, describing the process as an exercise in “participatory governance”. The priority, he said, was to ensure students have access to safe, secure, reliable and reasonably priced accommodation. Officials said the government expects to finalise the regulatory framework and issue detailed guidelines in the coming weeks.
