Overview
- Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu has approved a committee chaired by Education Minister Ashish Sood to review student accommodation and safety in Delhi.
- The panel was given a 60-day deadline to assess the hostel shortfall, identify safe housing options including vacant DDA, MCD and other government buildings, and propose regulatory and safety measures.
- Reports differ on membership size with some outlets naming 18 members and others 20, but all say the group will include senior officials such as the Chief Secretary, Police Commissioner, MCD and DDA leaders, the chief fire officer and university vice-chancellors.
- The committee can co-opt technical experts and institutional representatives and will work with universities to expand regulated hostels and examine a centralised database, complaint mechanisms and evacuation protocols.
- Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has separately started work to set up a State Disaster Emergency Relief Force to improve local rescue capacity after the Satya Niketan PG collapse that triggered the response.