Suitcases in hand, fear in their eyes: Hundreds of students flee Satya Niketan after PG collapse

Satya Niketan, a peculiarly shaped trapezium in Delhi, is located between the Ring Road, San Martin Marg, and Nanakpura. Established in 1968 by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) under the Jhuggi Jhopri Removal scheme, the area initially featured residential plots of up to 40 square meters. Over six decades, these plots have been transformed into paying guest accommodations and private hostels for thousands of students attending nearby colleges.

In 1973, Delhi University set up its South Campus, which placed Satya Niketan near a growing concentration of colleges. As the demand for student accommodation near the campus increased, the small residential plots within Satya Niketan gained value. This demand was further reinforced by the limited availability of university hostel accommodation, with DU's annual report for 2024-25 recording over 2.45 lakh regular students and 18 university-run hostels, indicating that hostel seats cannot be guaranteed to every applicant.

While housing has evolved in Satya Niketan, its transformation goes beyond residential plots. Nearby, milk booths, homeopathy clinics, public libraries, coaching centers, printing and photocopy shops, eateries, and other businesses catering to the nearby colleges have emerged. Experts agree that the area's change is not unique to Satya Niketan, citing similar patterns in other parts of Delhi, such as Hauz Rani, Munirka, and Mahipalpur, where residential areas have acquired commercial value and buildings were modified to extract greater value from the land.