Delhi University to Add Over 5,500 Hostel Seats

Delhi University has announced plans to add more than 5,500 hostel seats, expanding combined university and college accommodation from 7,210 to 12,754 seats, according to a university statement issued on Thursday. The announcement follows the September 6 collapse of a five-storey building in Satya Niketan that was operating as a private paying guest accommodation for students, which killed seven people, including five Delhi University students and two labourers, according to officials. Under the expansion plan, the university's own hostel capacity will rise from 3,422 seats to 7,344, an increase of 3,922 seats, while capacity across affiliated colleges will grow from 3,788 to 5,410, an increase of 1,622 seats. The university said the expansion reflects initiatives pursued over the past four to five years and will more than double existing capacity. Several major projects are already under construction. A 1,450-seat Institute of Eminence hostel at the university's Dhaka Complex is nearing completion, according to the statement.