Fareeha Ifhtikar | 19 October 2026 | The Print
On 13 October, DU’s Executive Council—its highest decision making body—cleared a Rs 5,889-crore proposal to build new hostels and reconstruct two existing ones, with a combined capacity of 21,895 students. Given the scale of the expenditure, the university has decided to seek additional grants from the Union Ministry of Education as it says it “cannot afford” to take loans.
At the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) halted construction at the Dehra campus in September, citing the “non-release of funds” by the Centre due to “administrative reasons”.
Despite more than 90 percent of the work being complete, the campus missed its July 2026 deadline to begin operations, with the target now shifted to January 2027.
The DU and CUHP cases highlight different aspects of the infrastructure pressures facing central universities: One needs additional funds to expand hostel capacity, while the other remains unable to complete a largely finished campus amid delays in fund release.