After crores of rupees being spent and thousands of students being affected, there is no taker for hostel rooms in the Delhi University. The rooms, vacated in May this year, were meant to accommodate tourists for the Commonwealth Games. There had also been innumerable protests from the student community, which had to look for an alternative PG accommodation. But the hostels are still awaiting their guests.

Pratibha Jolly, Principal of Miranda College says, “125 rooms in our college have been beautifully renovated. But no college has received any guest till now.”

The government had expected over 200,000 foreign and domestic visitors in Delhi solely for the Games. To meet the demand for accommodation, along with Bread and Breakfast scheme, more than 2500 hostel rooms across Delhi University were renovated for the guests. The University Grant Commission (UGC) which funded the project had told the authorities to start expecting guests from Sep 15.

Chandrachur Singh, professor and warden at Hindu College says the college is ready since Aug 31. He adds, “Sports Authority of India wanted game’s volunteers to stay in hostel rooms but the volunteers, I guess, have not been able to get police clearance yet.” The Hindu college was given more than one crore rupees by the UGC to renovate its 124 rooms.

Kumar Amrendra, warden at Kirori Mal College (KMC) says, “Ours is not a hotel that we will be worried about guests not coming. The guests were supposed to come through the GTO (Games Travel office) and we are in regular touch with them.” KMC had received a grant of Rs 1 crore by the UGC for renovating 65 rooms – available on twin sharing basis.

The rooms are available for Rs 250/day on twin sharing basis. And it will cost Rs 400/day for a single room.

Moti Irani, who is associated with the Games Travel Office says, “The rooms were meant for students who were supposed to come here to watch games. And they were giving rooms at Rs 600/day, which is too much to pay. And if they have reduced the price, then I do not have any idea about that.” Irani adds that the hostel details were put on the CWG website for a short time period.

Meanwhile, the wardens feel that the re-furnished rooms will benefit students in the long run. Students, who had to pay escalated price for PG accommodation in the last few months, too are happy.