09 September,2026 04:57 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) personnel dismantle an unsafe adjacent structure following the multi-storey building collapse tragedy at Satya Niketan, in New Delhi, on Wednesday. PIC/PTI
Students living in paying guest (PG) accommodations in Delhi could soon have stronger safety and security safeguards, with the Delhi government working on a comprehensive policy to regulate PG facilities across the national capital, news agency ANI reported.
The proposed framework, outlined by Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood, could make PG licences, police and municipal verification, CCTV cameras, night guards and wardens mandatory, while also seeking to regulate rents.
Under the proposed policy, PG operators would need to obtain a PG Operating Licence and complete police as well as municipal verification before running their establishments.
The proposed rules would make CCTV cameras mandatory at entrances and in common areas of PG accommodations. Recordings would have to be preserved for 30 days.
PGs housing 15 or more students would also be required to employ a licensed night guard between 10 pm and 6 am.
Visitor registers would be mandatory, with non-resident visitors allowed to enter between 8 am and 9 pm.
The policy would also require every PG to have a warden either residing on the premises or maintaining an office within a 500-metre radius. The warden would have to be physically available within 15 minutes in case of an emergency.
The proposed policy also seeks to address concerns over arbitrary and high rents charged by PG operators.
A Rent Regulation Committee could be set up to determine rent bands for different areas. The proposed rent bands would consider factors such as occupancy levels, amenities provided, prevailing market rates and the PG's proximity to colleges and public transport.
The draft framework also proposes an Institutional Accommodation Committee, comprising college officials, student representatives, a municipal representative, and a police liaison officer.
The committee would aim to improve coordination between educational institutions, students and government agencies on accommodation-related issues.
The proposed framework comes in the wake of the recent collapse of a building being used as a PG accommodation in Satya Niketan, which killed seven people and triggered renewed scrutiny of student housing and building safety in Delhi.
The Delhi government has also announced structural audits of buildings in major PG hubs.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has said the government is working on a framework under which buildings used for public activities, including PG accommodations, would have to undergo periodic structural audits and obtain safety certifications.
The Delhi government is also examining the possibility of using vacant government properties for student accommodation, while discussions are underway to improve hostel capacity in the city's universities and colleges.
If implemented, the proposed PG policy would bring establishments housing large numbers of students under a more structured regulatory system, with greater accountability for operators and stronger safety safeguards for residents.
(With ANI inputs)
