Several Delhi University colleges have opened their campuses to students displaced after a paying guest building collapsed in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan, turning classrooms and other facilities into temporary shelters.
Classes were suspended at several institutions as colleges arranged mattresses, food and counselling for students affected by the tragedy.
Campuses become safe shelters
Venkateswara College, Motilal Nehru College, Jesus and Mary College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Maitreyi College, Ram Lal Anand College, Bhagat Singh College and Aryabhatta College were among the institutions that issued notices offering accommodation and food support.
Delhi University has directed colleges to check their admission records and identify students living in the affected area so they can be contacted and offered safer accommodation on campus.
Female students have been permitted to seek shelter at any DU college, while male students are being accommodated at their respective institutions after identity verification.
The university has also offered its AICTE guest house to parents visiting Delhi to support their children.
Students search for missing classmates
The tragedy has deeply affected students who lived in and around Satya Niketan. Some student volunteers visited the collapse site searching for classmates believed to have been staying in the building.
At Venkateswara College, a student who narrowly escaped the collapse reportedly broke down and was taken for counselling.
College staff have also been helping families trace students whose phones could not be reached.
Relief efforts continue amid protests
NCC teams from several colleges have appealed for donations of water, food and bedsheets and distributed supplies near the affected area.
Officials said 72 students, including 46 boys and 26 girls, stayed overnight at Venkateswara College, while around 50 took shelter at Motilal Nehru College. Other students moved to friends’ or relatives’ homes.
Meanwhile, student organisations including ABVP, NSUI, SFI and AISA continued protests demanding accountability and action over the tragedy.
The response from Delhi University colleges has provided immediate shelter to displaced students while concerns over unsafe buildings and accommodation shortages remain.