Delhi’s PG safety survey has identified 138 properties requiring repairs, including four buildings placed in the dangerous category, after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi reviewed 2,250 paying guest accommodations across the capital. The findings have placed renewed attention on the safety of student and working-person housing in areas where demand is concentrated around universities and coaching centres.
According to the MCD survey reported by Jagran, 90 of the 138 PG properties needing repairs are located in the southern zone. Twenty-two of the 25 properties assessed as requiring major repairs are also in this zone. The surveyed PG accommodations in the southern zone house around 47,000 people, making the findings significant for a large population living in privately operated buildings.
The survey classified 138 PG properties as needing minor repairs, while 25 were found to require major repairs. Four buildings were placed in the dangerous category. The report did not specify how many residents were living in each of the four buildings or whether all the properties had been vacated or formally closed at the time of publication.
The exercise followed the building collapse in Satya Niketan and directions from the Delhi High Court. The court had instructed the MCD to conduct a safety audit of PG accommodations within a week and to provide information on the regulatory framework governing these properties. It also sought clarity on the roles of the MCD and the University of Delhi, observing that responsibility for the condition of such housing could not be placed only on building owners. The next hearing is scheduled for September 25, according to the report.
The distribution of PG properties shows how closely this housing segment is linked to education and employment clusters. The Civil Lines zone recorded the highest number of PG properties, at 531. The zone includes North Campus and Mukherjee Nagar, areas associated with Delhi University and coaching institutions. Keshavpuram followed with 410 PG properties, while the southern zone had 384.
The southern zone includes the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University’s South Campus. These institutions generate sustained demand for rental accommodation, particularly from students seeking housing close to campuses and transport links. The survey findings indicate that the areas with the strongest demand also contain a substantial share of buildings requiring repairs.
MCD officials cited structural characteristics in several weak buildings, saying many had been constructed without pillars and carried their load through walls, roofs and floors. The report did not provide a zone-wise structural assessment or identify the precise repair requirements for each property.
The corporation also carried out enforcement action after the survey and the court’s intervention. On a Sunday, MCD teams reportedly acted against illegal or dilapidated construction at 11 locations. Four properties were sealed for violations in the eastern and Old Delhi zones, while demolition action was undertaken in Satbari and other areas of the southern zone.
The immediate administrative task is now to establish what action will follow for the 138 properties, particularly the four classified as dangerous. The MCD is expected to place further details before the Delhi High Court ahead of the September 25 hearing, including information on the safety audit and the regulatory responsibilities governing PG accommodation.
