North Campus: A Paradox of Dreams & Decay Delhi University's North Campus is where India's best and brightest converge, but students live in dingy, expensive, and unclean accommodations. With exorbitant rents, health risks, and exploitative landlords, student life here is a struggle for survival
A soul trapped within the precincts of the four wall, in a cramped match-box sized room with no visible window for the the light of daybreak to swarm in, yes…this might be just another uneventful day in the quotidian life of hundreds of students who have made the ‘North Campus’ of Delhi University their ad hoc abode. This article reiterates the story of these bright minds, who forsook the tender embrace of their home and relinquished familial affection to embark on an odyssey miles away in actualisation of their loftiest aspirations. In the heart of India’s capital, where dreams of academic brilliance converge, squalor and substandard living conditions form the cruel underbelly of student life.
The erstwhile historic and congested localities of 'Kamla Nagar', 'Malka Ganj', 'Subzi Mandi', 'Chandrawal', and 'Roop Nagar' have, over the years, (Delhi Development Authority) evolved into an urban nightmare where exacerbated rents do not even ensure the most fundamental essentials of hygiene, space, and security. The series of soggy, ill-ventilated rooms accommodate students who shell out anything between ₹8,000 to ₹15,000 monthly for rooms which hardly make up as habitations (Times of India). A few of these facilities are nothing more than ten-by-ten-foot cages, with four or five students packed together, sharing one, usually filthy washroom.
For the less privileged, things are worse. 'Chandrawal', a neighbourhood that shares a boundary with the university, is more like a slum dweller's neighbourhood than a students' area. The streets are narrow and clogged—waste accumulates on the streets, sewers spill over in the monsoon, and still water becomes a breeding ground for diseases such as dengue and typhoid. Here, students reside in makeshift rooms with tin-sheeted ceilings that barely shield them from Delhi’s sweltering summers and bitter winters.
'Kamla Nagar', which used to be famous for its bustling markets, is now the hub of overpriced PG accommodations where the students pay huge rents for rooms that do not even meet the most basic safety and health standards.
Speaking to us, Rahul – a sophomore from Kirori Mal College explained his ordeal: "I rent a room for ₹12,000 a month which is so cramped that I could barely accommodate any other furniture into it except my study table and a small bed.The plaster falls off the ceiling, and the bathroom has black mold. But when we complain, the landlord dismisses us, saying there's a long line of students who are eager to take our spot. The water which is supplied remains dangerously discoloured indicating the presence of contaminants in it. Staying here in each, has become much of a bargain with good health for me. I question my decision of coming here in the first place every living & breathing moment.”
The implications of these dire living conditions reach far beyond inconvenience. The absence of clean sanitation, poor air and improper hygiene due to water shortage result in recurrent cases of diseases. Most PGs and hostels supply unfiltered tap water, leading to extreme cases of gastrointestinal infections among students.
For most students residing in private PG accommodations near North Campus, mealtime is an everyday struggle and not a means of sustenance. The meals served in these hostels are usually of poor quality—tasteless, unclean, and nutritionally poor. Student reports show that food often includes watery dal, stale chapatis, and ill-cooked vegetables, with even minimum hygiene standards missing. Cases of food poisoning are alarmingly common, with some students resorting to street food or instant noodles as an alternative, exacerbating health issues.
Take a look at this research paper which discusses the relation between outdoor & indoor air quality in Delhi NCR
Beyond the physical health risks, the psychological toll of such living conditions is immense. Many students, living far from home for the first time, grapple with anxiety and depression, compounded by isolation in claustrophobic spaces. "I feel stifled—not physically but mentally as well," reflects a postgraduate student from Roop Nagar. "The darkness, the dirt, and the perpetual pressure of paying exorbitant rent take away my interest in studying."
A National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) report points out that students who reside in poorly maintained, high-density houses are 60% more prone to acute stress and anxiety than their peers who live in good houses. (NIMHANS Survey). Additionally, studies have shown that high residential density in student accommodations is associated with elevated psychological symptoms, including mild depression and anxiety. (NCBI)
The uncontrolled exploitation on the part of landlords and property owners is encouraged by the university's inability to offer proper hostel facilities. With barely a small percentage of students able to find space in on-campus hostels, most are left vulnerable to the mercy of the private renting sector. Even the limited hostels that exist in the North Campus fall short of offering hygienic and economical accommodation, compelling students into mediocre PG accommodations or shared flats.
Most students cannot afford skyrocketing rents and settle for illegally built rooms in dilapidated by-lanes where fire risk, waterlogging, and safety issues are the order of the day. Female students are especially threatened—landlords impose strange curfews, deny male visitors (even relatives), and threaten eviction in case of a complaint.
Check this article by ‘The Patriot’ on the accommodation woes faced by the students in the campus .
While North Campus is notorious for its dilapidated student housing, South Campus is no better. Places such as Satya Niketan, Anand Niketan, and Munirka—trendy student hotspots—also face the same problems of overcharged, congested, and unclean living spaces. In Satya Niketan, a 10x10-foot room with hardly any ventilation can range from ₹10,000 to ₹18,000 per month, with landlords providing little to no maintenance. 'Munirka', which is frequently preferred by students due to its comparatively affordable facilities, is plagued by acute shortages of water, poor sanitation, and constricted by-lanes that get waterlogged during monsoons. Students on the South Campus, just like those on the North Campus, are troubled by unregulated PGs, substandard food, and perpetual health risks. The absence of university hostels compels the students to depend upon private accommodation, further facilitating exploitation by landlords who exploit the continuously burgeoning demand. The situation is an ongoing concern, requiring immediate intervention from authorities.
As much as Delhi University remains the magnet for the best minds of the country, the deplorable condition of student accommodation is a problem that can no longer be glossed over. The government needs to intervene with strict measures for private student residences and enhanced investment in hostel facilities. Rent control ceiling policies and enforcement of safety and hygiene norms need to be actively enforced so that landlords cannot take advantage of students.
In the meantime, North Campus is a paradox—where students excel in studies in classrooms but lose it in the gobs of its deteriorating, abandoned dormitories.
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