OWNERS RUE FATE OF PGS AROUND NORTH CAMPUS
The admission season every year is marked by freshers rushing to find paying guest (PG) accommodations near Delhi University’s North campus, giving PG owners a brisk business. However with admissions going online this year and there being no clarity on reopening of colleges, the prospects remain gloomy for PG owners.
Rajpal Singh, who has been running girls’ and boys’ PGs in Hudson Lane for last 16 years, had to vacate the buildings that he had rented for his business. “I’m left with my own PG buildings now, but still have to incur the maintenance cost and electricity bill, and they’re just adding to my loss. We cannot predict when students will come and we don’t even know if they will be opting to stay in a PG,” says Singh.
Usually bombarded with queries at this time, Sandhya Singh, owner of a PG in Vijay Nagar, also rues the slow business. “Every year, we used to accommodate close to 100 students. We only got some four-five calls this time to enquire about the PG, but students will not come any time before September,” she shares.
And even when students return, they might not prefer a shared accommodation, given the social distancing norms. “They will not opt for triple or four sharing rooms now. Even we can’t plan anything right now till we start getting regular enquiries,” she says.
Shankul Sharma, who runs PGs in Kamla Nagar, Hudson Lane and Vijay Nagar, says students occupied 90% of his PGs and 60% occupants were freshers. “I had to let go one of the buildings that I had rented. Parents will now be more cautious while sending their kids to PGs,” he says.