“PG available” signs compete with tangled wires and exposed meters. New Delhi: In Delhi’s student hubs, finding a PG accommodation can mean squeezing through cramped lanes and narrow staircases in tightly-packed buildings. In some pockets, dug-up approach roads and poor ventilation add to the worry. Yet, students pay steep rents for small rooms simply to stay close to college and coaching centres.
Because our coaching classes are close by, “We stay here mainly.
If I look for a better or more spacious place, the rent goes up considerably, and as a student, I simply cannot afford that,” said Anamika, a student living in Shakurpur. In Mukherjee Nagar, another major hub for students and competitive exam aspirants, electric poles and walls are plastered with boards offering rooms, phone numbers to call and promises of “Hi-Fi” facilities. The building collapse in Satya Niketan has renewed concerns over safety in the city’s student and coaching hubs, where many students depend on private accommodation. In areas like Laxmi Nagar and adjoining Shakarpur and West Angad Nagar, PGs and rented rooms have proliferated around coaching centres. Some buildings stand along narrow, uneven or excavated stretches, while overhead cables form a dense web between structures, at places almost obscuring their facades. The lanes are congested and there are wires hanging everywhere, but what choice do we have? This is what fits my budget. The worry is visible closer to North Campus too. Across these student hubs, the issue goes beyond rent or room size. Thousands come to Delhi for college or coaching, but packed residential buildings, commercial PGs and congested lanes can turn even a small emergency into a serious safety risk.