NHRC seeks Delhi, UGC and DU hostel plan by October 15

Delhi University’s roughly 72,000 undergraduate students will be at the centre of a hostel-capacity plan sought by the National Human Rights Commission from the Delhi government, the University Grants Commission and the university.

In a September 7 notice, the Commission asked the Delhi Chief Secretary and UGC Chairman to submit a detailed, time-bound action plan by October 15. The exercise is aimed particularly at students arriving from outside Delhi, many of whom rely on paying-guest accommodation or private rentals.

The direction followed a 2025 complaint by the Network for Access to Justice and Multidisciplinary Outreach Foundation. It said inadequate hostel availability was increasing students’ living costs and affecting their education and well-being.

DU runs undergraduate programmes through 65 constituent and affiliated colleges. In its response to the Commission, the university acknowledged accommodation difficulties and referred to the need for additional hostel infrastructure. But the NHRC said the response did not state present capacity, the size of the shortfall, financial responsibilities or a deadline for adding beds.

The requested plan must examine renovation, upgrades and expansion of existing hostels, along with the feasibility of new facilities and the needs of individual colleges. It must also identify the agencies responsible for each intervention and set an implementation schedule.