“When I came to Delhi from Deoghar, this PG became my second home. “Earlier, I never thought about the condition of the building.

Now, when I go to sleep, there is a question in my mind — what if the building we trust with our lives is not safe?” “Our parents send us here believing we are safe.

Safety comes with a priceFor many young people, however, finding a safer place is not simply a matter of making a choice. It is also about whether they can afford one.

A better-maintained PG can mean higher monthly rent, which can be difficult for students and people earning entry-level salaries. In a city where every extra thousand rupees can matter, safety can end up competing with affordability.

Shilpashree Mondal, who lives in a PG in Noida, said her budget leaves little room for choice. Site of the ' Hostel Daze' building collapse (Image credit: ANI)“I don’t think even a working woman like me has much of a real choice when it comes to choosing where to live.

The Satya Niketan collapse initially frightened Mondal. “I started thinking, what if something like this happens to my PG too?

I somehow convinced myself that it wouldn’t happen, but there are already things that worry me, like problems with the water supply, poor hygiene and dampness in the walls,” she said. “I had never thought about the structure of my PG before.

After Satya Niketan, I started noticing how my building is designed and wondering whether there are enough safety measures. Joshi said neither her PG owner nor anyone from the management approached the residents after the incident to discuss their concerns or reassure them about the safety of the building.

She said PG owners often focused on collecting rent on time, while issues such as safety, hygiene and emergency preparedness received less attention. Students want to see the paperworkFor Vijaya Roy, a student at Delhi University's Ramanujan College who is preparing for the CAT examination, the uncertainty begins with something as basic as knowing whether a PG has the necessary permissions.

“We don’t even know whether they have permission from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi or not. “It should be made mandatory that tenants are able to get the papers from PG owners, so that they know whether the building has the proper permissions and whether the regulations are being followed,” she said.

“If adequate hostel facilities are available in colleges, students will have another option. Delhi government plans PG regulationThe Satya Niketan collapse has also intensified scrutiny of PG accommodation in the capital.

The Delhi government is working on a comprehensive policy to regulate paying guest accommodations, with Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood outlining proposed measures aimed at improving safety, security and rent regulation. Under the proposed policy, PG operators would have to obtain a PG Operating Licence and complete police and municipal verification before running their establishments.

CCTV cameras would be mandatory at entrances and in common areas, with recordings required to be preserved for 30 days. For PGs housing 15 or more students, operators would have to employ a licensed night guard between 10pm and 6am.

Visitor registers would also be mandatory, while non-resident visitors would be allowed entry between 8am and 9pm. Every PG would also be required to have a warden either living on the premises or maintaining an office within a 500-metre radius.

The warden would have to be physically available within 15 minutes during an emergency. The proposed policy also seeks to address concerns about arbitrary and high rents through a Rent Regulation Committee, which would determine rent bands for different areas.

These rent bands would take into account factors such as occupancy levels, amenities, prevailing market rates and proximity to colleges and public transport. The draft framework further proposes an Institutional Accommodation Committee comprising college officials, student representatives, a municipal representative and a police liaison officer.

A second home no longer feels quite as secureFor the students and young professionals living in PGs across Delhi-NCR, the Satya Niketan collapse is no longer simply an incident they watched on a news screen. It has changed how they look at their own rooms — the damp patch on a wall, the makeshift partition, the crowded staircase or the roof above their bed.

A PG may still be a second home. But after Satya Niketan, many residents are asking whether the place they depend on for safety is actually capable of providing it.

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