A Guide For Students To Live In Delhi

By Nikhil Borker:

It’s admission time in Delhi. With temperatures and cut-offs, both reaching unprecedentedly high levels, students and parents are finding ways to deal with the tension associated. Woes do not end only on securing admissions. Another issue that causes concern to many is the paucity of hostel rooms in many of the universities in the capital. Students, especially those coming from outside Delhi face difficulties in finding an accommodation. Moreover, even those who do manage to find a room feel they have been cheated due to lack of knowledge of the city. Let us explore the various options available throughout the city and a thorough economic analysis of these options.

North Delhi:

The well-known North Campus is located in the Northern part of the city and takes in the maximum percentage of all students living in Delhi. Consequently, demand for PG accommodations is high. The most sought after destinations, among others are Kamala Nagar, Model Town and Kingsway Camp. The room rent in this area varies from from Rs 7000 to Rs 15000. Landlords are flexible as far as the number of occupants are concerned. So, generally 3-4 students club in their resources to share the rooms. These rooms are fully equipped with facilities such as air conditioner, RO, water, TV and power backup. Some enterprising people lure students by offering them Wi-fi services at a nominal extra cost. Apart from these facilities one can also go for shopping at the North square mall or gorge on affordable and tasty food at the Kamala Nagar market. Rohini, located in north-west Delhi is host to some of the sprawling campuses of GGSIPU and the Delhi Technological University. In order to earn extra money people have let out one or more rooms of their house to students and provide homemade food as well. Buildings dedicated for lodging facilities for students can be found in sec 8, 11, 13, 16 and 17. Rates vary from Rs 3000 (empty room) to Rs 12000 (fully furnished with food) per month. Entire North Delhi is well connected to other parts parts of the city by the red and yellow lines of metro. Grameen sewas, feeder buses and autorickshaws facilitate commutation in the interior localities.

South Delhi:

You can find many reputed DU colleges, LSR, KNC, Gargi, Venkateshwara to name a few.Thus there is always a high demand for accommodation in areas like Kalkaji, South Ex, Lajpat Nagar, Dhaula Kuan, GK etc. even though the renting rates are the steepest. Single occupancy costs anywhere between Rs10,000 to 20,000 per month while multiple occupancy brings down the cost to Rs 2500-7000. Thus, a group of students opt for renting a flat and living together. Even though you might be feeling that living in these areas might burn a hole in your pocket, there are several advantages associated. Medical facilities are not an issue as leading hospitals like AIIMS and Safdarjung are just a few kilometres away. Feel like shopping? A ride to South Ex, Sarojini Nagar, Lajpat Nagar will quench your thirst. You can visit the Select City Walk, Saket, the DLF promenade,Vasant kunj or the GK-II M-Block market for an upmarket feel. For the tech freaks, Nehru Place is also not far. It is well connected to the rest of Delhi by the yellow and purple lines of metro. There are a number of buses that ply along the ring road and provide access to the colleges. Auto-rickshaws are ubiquitous and in some localities you can find cycle rickshaws.

West and East Delhi:

There is a fair demand for rooms in Subhash Nagar, Janakpuri and Dwarka from students of NSIT and MSIT. An ordinary room could cost you Rs 5000-8000 a month depending on the area. These areas are well connected to central and east Delhi by the blue line. However commuting to North or South campus can be a problem. Thus, these rooms are occupied by students studying nearby only. As far as East Delhi is considered, there are only a few colleges located here. As a result finding accommodation can be an onerous task. The most reasonable ones can be found in Laxmi Nagar and Karkarduma.

This was a brief analysis of all the choices. I expect that this will make your search for a good accommodation facile. I wish all the ‘fucchaas’ a fruitful year ahead and hope you come out with flying colors. There is only one last piece of advise: “Don’t always look at the price. Be wise”