Sonu Sood highlights Delhi's shortage of safe student hostel accommodation facilities.
Around seven lakh students compete for barely 30,000 hostel beds in Delhi.
Satya Niketan tragedy renews calls for safer and affordable student housing.
Actor Sonu Sood has called for safer and more affordable student accommodation in Delhi following the Satya Niketan PG building collapse. Reacting to the tragedy, Sood highlighted the serious shortage of hostel facilities in the capital, where lakhs of students move away from home each year to pursue higher education.
The actor argued that the lack of affordable and regulated accommodation leaves many students dependent on private paying guest facilities and rented properties, raising fresh concerns about safety after the five-storey building collapse in Satya Niketan.
Sonu Sood highlights Delhi's student hostel shortage
In a post on X, Sood pointed to the wide gap between Delhi's student population and the number of hostel beds available. According to figures shared by the actor, around seven lakh students are enrolled in the city, while hostel accommodation is available for barely 30,000 students.
He said this effectively means that only around one in every 31 students is able to secure a hostel.
The Happy New Year actor questioned whether students leaving their homes to chase educational opportunities were being provided with safe places to live. He suggested that vacant government land near universities could be identified and used to build affordable student hostels.
Sonu Sood calls for safer student housing in Delhi
Sood also proposed giving universities additional building permissions to expand accommodation within their campuses. According to him, such measures could improve student safety while giving parents greater peace of mind.
He stressed that better student housing could also generate revenue for universities and governments while helping prevent tragedies caused by unsafe accommodation.
The comments came after the Satya Niketan PG collapse, which renewed scrutiny of building safety and student accommodation in Delhi. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has announced ₹5 lakh in financial assistance for those injured in the collapse, while the Delhi government will bear their full treatment costs.
Sood's appeal has brought the wider issue of Delhi's student hostel shortage back into focus, particularly as thousands of young people continue to depend on private accommodation near major educational institutions.
