New Delhi: The narrow lanes hemmed in by multi-storey buildings, rooms with little ventilation, blocked balconies, single staircases, and overhead wires that preceded the Saidulajab building collapse are not unique. A reality check across Delhi's major student hubs by TOI found similar conditions in several localities housing thousands of youths.
Mukherjee Nagar: Ageing Structures with Questionable Strength
In Mukherjee Nagar, where SSC aspirants can rent rooms for as little as Rs 6,000 a month, a five-storey PG with large coolers fitted to its balconies as the only source of ventilation stood out. While tiled exteriors make many buildings appear newer, residents said several are ageing structures with questionable internal strength and maintenance.
Rajendra Nagar: Basement Rentals Persist Despite Tragedy
Rajendra Nagar presented a similar picture. "The PGs here are the only option for us because of their proximity to coaching centres," said Vantara (26), an UPSC aspirant. Students pointed to basement accommodations still being rented out despite scrutiny after three lives were lost in a flooded basement of a coaching centre in 2024.
Jia Sarai and Katwaria Sarai: Packed Buildings with Fire Risks
In south Delhi's Jia Sarai and Katwaria Sarai, buildings along main roads are generally two- or three-storey high, but deeper inside, structures rise five or more floors. Balconies are so close that residents of facing buildings can easily shake hands. "When I first came to Delhi three years ago, I paid around Rs 5,000 for a matchbox of a room that I shared with another person. At that time, I somehow managed, but now I know I can never live like that again," said Alka, a 27-year-old aspiring professor.
Residents pointed to several PG buildings with additional floors constructed later. One five-storey girls' PG had a tiled exterior, while the top floor looked different because it was a recent addition, effectively making it a six-storey structure. Students said a typical PG building has four to five floors with at least five rooms each, and with students sharing rooms, scores of residents use just one staircase as both entry and exit.
Student Voices: Suffocating Rooms and High Costs
Urvashi Yadav (24) from Madhya Pradesh, preparing for NET, showed TOI her room and said, "I pay Rs 4,000 rent. I know the room is suffocating, but I have nothing else to do. Rooms are unaffordable elsewhere." Kuldeep Meena from Rajasthan and Devanshu from Gujarat, both MTech students at IIT-Delhi, said many depend on accommodation in Jia Sarai and Katwaria Sarai due to proximity to campus. "There is a hostel on campus, but allotment works through a lottery and it is very difficult to get a room. Because of that, many students rely on these areas," they said.
Lack of Safety Measures
The two also noted that sunlight barely reaches narrow lanes because of how closely buildings are packed. Fire-safety measures are largely absent, with no extinguishers in several buildings and clusters of tangled overhead wires that frequently spark during the monsoon.
