The Satya Niketan tragedy highlights Delhi University's severe student accommodation crisis. With limited hostel seats for thousands, many rely on unsafe, expensive private housing. Proposed new hostels face funding and administrative hurdles. The author criticizes past inaction from DU and the Delhi government regarding safe infrastructure and private market engagement. While recent government initiatives for public-private partnerships are positive, more innovative solutions, like pooling college land, are crucial. Ensuring safe, affordable student homes requires ending political inertia and a collective, imaginative approach.