Back to business after pandemic pause? PG owners, eateries around DU hope to recover

New Delhi: With Delhi University set to open on Wednesday for first-year undergraduate students, PG owners are hoping for an uptick in business and easing back to the pre-pandemic days.

- Shradha Chettri & Shinjini Ghosh

Rents have increased and most of the bookings have shifted online. Not just hostel chains like Hive Hostels and Stanza Living, many conventional facilities are also looking to increase their presence on social media.

The delay in the university’s reopening has caused some losses, especially for xerox shops, which are already facing challenges in the form of increased paper price and more students moving to online reading. Restaurants and roadside eateries are, however, hopeful of reviving business.

PG owners

When Abhijeet Nautiyal started his PG, Abode Inn, in 2018, it used to run at its full capacity of 200. When the pandemic struck, it remained empty between 2020 and 2022. Now, it has filled 140 seats. From Rs 16,000, the rent has gone up to Rs 18,000 per bed for a room shared by two. The facility also offers meals, Wifi and laundry.

“Due to Covid, we have a loss of about Rs 30 lakh, which we are yet to recover. As most people are booking PGs online, we also had to create our website and become active on social media,” said Nautiyal. With the PG’s banner in an e-rickshaw, his associate has also been roaming around to advertise it in Kamla Nagar, Jawahar Nagar and Vijay Nagar.