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WHAT IF NORTH CAMPUS COLLEGES SHUT DOWN!?!

This report explores the potential consequences of a hypothetical situation where all the North Campus colleges shut down. We will keep ourselves limited to analyze the impact on the economy of Kamla Nagar & Vishwavidyalaya metro station.
Additionally, the report will discuss the effects on the Kamla Nagar market, the PG (paying guest) businesses, local employment, and the overall revenue generation of the North Campus region.

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1. Impact on the Economy of Nearby Areas:

     a) Kamla Nagar: Kamla Nagar is known for its vibrant market, which thrives on the patronage of college students. With the absence of college students, the footfall in the market would significantly decrease. This decline in customers would have a detrimental effect on the businesses operating in the area. The shops, restaurants, and street vendors would experience a considerable decrease in sales, leading to financial instability and potential closures.

      b) Malka Ganj, Roop Nagar, and Shakti Nagar: These areas are largely residential and depend on the economic activities generated by college students. The shutdown of the North Campus colleges would result in reduced demand for goods and services, negatively impacting the local economy. The businesses in these areas, such as grocery stores, stationery shops, and eateries, would witness a decline in sales.

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2. Impact on Kamla Nagar Market:

The absence of college students would have a severe impact on the Kamla Nagar market, which is one of the biggest shopping hubs in Delhi. With a decrease in footfall, the businesses in the market would experience a significant decline in sales.
The well-known brands like Van Heusen, H&M, Naturals, MacDonald, Wendy's, Burger King, and Zudio may struggle to sustain their operations due to reduced customer traffic. Some may even consider closing their outlets or downsizing their operations.

If we assume the number of students in North Campus to be around 30,000 excluding the teaching and non- teaching staff, assuming that just 10% buys from the clothing outlets in Kamla Nagar owing to prices, we come down to a client base of 300 students. The number would differ from the kind of brand as well. For outlets like Burger King and Wendy’s, we can assume 70% of the students eating there at least once in 2 weeks. That gives us a customer base of 21,000 people, which would be lost if the colleges are shut down.

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3. Impact on PG Businesses:

The shutdown of North Campus colleges would have a direct impact on the PG businesses in the Kamla Nagar area. These businesses primarily cater to college students, providing them with accommodation and other facilities.
PG businesses would experience a sharp drop in their earnings due to reduced occupancy rates.
Many PGs might have to shut down or explore alternative strategies to attract non-student tenants.

The conversion of PGs into residential areas, similar to the historical trend, could become a viable option for property owners to adapt to the changing market conditions.
With no students to fill these PGs, the occupancy rates would drastically decline, leading to a significant drop in earnings for PG owners.

There are approximately 100 PGs around Kamla Nagar. These PGs, have a differing rent and room availability in the range of Rs. 10,000 to 25,000. These PGs are mostly used by outstation students. Around 60% of all North Campus students are from outside Delhi. Only 10% of them avail hostel facility and rest use PGs or flats. That gives us a student base of around 15,000 students who use PGs. For ease of calculation we are taking an average monthly rent of 15,000. This gives us a revenue of Rs. 22,50,00,000 monthly. This will be a huge economic loss.

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4. Impact on Vishwavidyalaya:

How the absence of college students would have a huge impact on the Vishwavidyalaya metro station, because at least 60% of the individuals that come to the metro station are students only.
The major impact would be on the ancillary services around the metro station such as Momo Stalls, Fast Food Corners, Tea Stall, Food Bus, Jewellery, Trinket Stalls, Bookstalls etc.

For instance, if we just consider the Momo Stalls, then they can make up to a revenue of Rs. 2000-5000 per day in the peak hours, near North Campus. This gives a monthly revenue of 1,20,000 on an average. This would directly drop once the colleges shut down.

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Conclusion:

The hypothetical shutdown of all North Campus colleges in Delhi would have far-reaching consequences on the economy of the North campus region. The demographic composition would undergo a drastic change, leading to a decrease in revenue generated by the area. The overall impact would be substantial, affecting the livelihood.
Overall, the economy of the region would undergo a substantial transformation, requiring stakeholders to adapt to the changing circumstances.

 

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Dipendra Balot 

Senior Editor, Editorial Board

Hindu College, Delhi University

* The comments section is open for a healthy debate and relevant arguments. Use of inappropriate language and unnecessary hits towards the department, the newsletter, or the author will not be entertained.

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