'Maintenance Work in Progress': Hostel-Seeking DU Students Have Nowhere To Go

There is little clarity on whether the students who were living in hostels earlier can return to them.

Even as Delhi University colleges reopen two years after the COVID-19-induced lockdown put a stop to physical classes, students are thronging college hostel gates to inquire about availability of rooms. But the guards have only one thing to tell them – "Maintenance work in progress."

With hostels lying empty for the last two years, they are now in a dire need of renovation. And the short notice on which the colleges decided to move from the online mode to offline hasn't helped.

Moreover, there is little clarity on whether the students who were living in hostels earlier, and had left after the pandemic outbreak, can return to them.

Dehradun-based Vasupriya Prajapati, who is a third-year student at Ramjas College, is one among them. She returned to Delhi on Sunday, hoping to go back to her college hostel, only to learn that the hostel is shut and is under maintenance.

"When we inquired about the hostel, we learnt that most of the staff have left, and the kitchen, washrooms, and rooms are all locked."

Vasupriya Prajapati

She adds, "There are limited seats in hostels. I am unsure whether the hostels will accommodate students who had to leave their rooms because of the pandemic."

The announcement to resume offline classes for all undergraduate and postgraduate courses on Thursday, 17 February, was made on 9 February – giving outstation students less than 10 days to return to Delhi and find accommodation.

Soon after, DU colleges started revamping hostels on a war footing. But the work is still underway.

• Earlier this week, Ramjas College released a notice stating that maintenance work is on, adding that it will update an online application form soon.

• Students of Hansraj College were told that the process of allocating rooms is online – and that they will need to appear for an interview as well.

• Students of Kirori Mal College were asked to fill out a Google form online if they wanted hostel accommodation. It is followed by an interview, following which a list will be released.

• Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) announced on its official website that it looks forward to welcoming first-year students in the hostel. “It is currently undertaking extensive renovation and repair work to make the hostel habitable after 2 years of closure. Work on this has started and should continue in an expedited mode,” the notice reads.

'Excited for College but Have No Place To Stay'

Vijay, a first-year student at Hansraj College, says it's his first time in the north campus, so he is "overwhelmed". Like many others, his first option is a hostel – and his backup plan is a paying guest (PG) accommodation.

“Those who come from further away are given preference in the hostel application. I am from Rohtak which is three hours away. Hence, my name will be much lower on the list.

Vijay, a first-year DU student from Rohtak

But PG accommodations come at a higher cost. “I had asked my friends to help me search for a PG. The same PG that cost around Rs 7,000 a week ago, has now gone up to Rs 10,000,” he says.

Muskaan Aggarwal from Rohtak, too, makes rounds of Hansraj College, along with her father. The second-year BCom student speaks to The Quint, with traces of nervousness and excitement in her voice, “This is my first time in Delhi. I am very excited because I have not attended college till date.”

Her father Sukhsagar Aggarwal says, “I am a bit scared for her but I am also grateful that she is getting an opportunity to attend college. I am sure that these few years will make her independent.”

However, they have not found an accommodation as yet, and Muskaan is staying at a relative’s house in Delhi until then.

Many students do not have relatives in the city and are staying in hotels in the interim. Arjun Saklani, a third-year student of Ramjas College, from Dehradun, says, “I had spent my first semester in Delhi where I was staying in a PG accommodation. It used to cost Rs 10,000 but it has now gone up to Rs 13,000. Now, I have to come here and stay in a hotel and find an accommodation.”

PGs Become More Expensive Each Day, Say Students

Alka and Suchitra, sisters from Rajasthan, moved back to the city two months ago. “We wanted a change of environment as we had stayed at home for a very long time.” Alka is a second-year student at LSR and Suchitra is a third-year student at Miranda House.

The sisters waited for the new students from Rajasthan to reach north campus so that they could help them find accommodation. But they, too, have to bear the brunt of the increasing PG rent.

Suchitra, who stayed in a PG in her first year, says that the price went up from Rs 9,000 to Rs 12,000. They had not expected the university to reopen in such a rushed manner, but are still looking forward to attending classes after a long break from physical classes, she adds.

Alka chose to stay in a smaller PG with more amenities. Since she reached Delhi when there were fewer students, she got the accommodation at Rs 12,000 for a triple sharing room. But she was told that when college reopens, the rent would go up to Rs 17,000. New students, on the other hand, have to pay Rs 22,000.

Shalu, a second-year student from Uttar Pradesh, says that she was looking forward to classes because she would finally be able to visit the labs and the library, which they could not do all this while. She has not found an accommodation yet. She adds that PGs for girls are more expensive and go up to Rs 20,000.

Students Still at Home Request for Hybrid Classes

Aaditya Kumar, a first-year student at Motilal Nehru College, who is from Bihar, tells The Quint that he and many others from his hometown have not been able to get train tickets yet. He says, “Earlier this month, we were told that online classes will continue. But, suddenly, it was announced that they will be held oFFline and we have to move to Delhi on short notice.”

He adds that the earliest he could get tickets for is 26 February. He would have to quarantine for three days before attending college. He haS no idea how he would be able to find accommodation on such short notice.

“If we take the earliest train and reach Delhi on 27 February, we would be able to start college only in the first week of March and soon, examinations would take place. We wish the college had reopened in a phased manner instead.”

Aaditya Kumar, a first year DU student from Bihar

Many students like him, who have not been able to travel to Delhi as of yet, have signed petitions asking the university to conduct classes via hybrid mode.

Besides highlighting the accommodation issue, they say that many are on student loans – and their loans would not cover the skyrocketing PG rents. They add that some have taken up part-time jobs in order to sustain their livelihood amid a financial crisis at home.