Within a week of the tragic death of three UPSC applicants at Rau's IAS study circle, the national capital was hit by heavy rains on Wednesday night and the same basement was flooded again.
Three young UPSC aspirants drowned in the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in old Rajinder Nagar on the night of July 27 as the basement was flooded after heavy rains. Three students are in the library in the basement.
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Roads were flooded again on Wednesday night after hours of rain, underlining the failure of authorities and the lack of improvement in the situation. A few meters away, a group of students continued the sit-in that began on the nights of July 27 and July 28.
When News18 visited the location on Saturday (August 3), the machines were deployed outside the temporarily closed learning centre. These machines pump water from the basement. “We are pumping water from the basement. The rain this week has flooded it again,” said a worker deployed at the site who requested anonymity.
No entry is allowed inside the building, but the machines and workers deployed outside tell us enough about the conditions in the basement. A few meters away, two trucks from the MCD were also deployed to clean the drains outside the coaching centre. MCD employees declined to comment.
Students’ plight never ends
“Drainage is not our only problem. Students are facing many problems but the authorities are not listening to us. Political parties say they support us but the problem is that they actually support their votes and they are the land of this area Owners and brokers. The broker relationship needs to end in the region,” Prince Yadav, 24, said.
He moved to the area in 2018 from his home in Agra.
“These agents will not move coaching centers outside the local area because they know that if the coaches will go, so will the students. Even the tea seller charges Rs 20 for a cup of tea, whereas in other parts of the city , you can find tea for 10 rupees on the roadside. This is why students are forced to live in areas where coaching centers are located,” he added.
Yadav went on to say that everyone is aware of the traffic problem in the city and if students spend two to three hours on the road every day, when will they study? “Every second counts for students, and that's where we're being exploited,” he added.
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Standing with him is Vikas Kumar Singh from Ara in Bihar. Adding to Yadav's point, Singh said one important thing that no one understands is that landowners are the biggest problem in the area. “They charge high rents to pad their coffers and exploit students from outside,” he said.
Singh went on to say that the locals violated the rules and the authorities' only mistake was that they did not take action in time. “But those who own the land have blocked the drainage system. No openings are left in the drains to allow water to flow on the roads. The MCD or police have not constructed these ramps but the land owners have,” he said.
Singh also accused landowners of increasing rents on upper floors after basements in the area were sealed. Both were among the protesting students. Although the students News18 spoke to did not know each other, common issues brought them together at the protest. Nearly 100 students participated in the protest.
Closure of area tutoring centers
Protesting students also said that coaching centers stayed away from students because they understood their anger. “Almost all centers in the region are closed. Some of them are likely to start from Monday,” said Sonika Shukla from Uttar Pradesh.
Student Tutoring Forum
Students protesting on the road demanded that a committee or a redressal forum should be set up for students where they can register any problem they face so that the authorities can help them.
“Girls face sexual harassment and have nowhere to go. If they go and tell their families, the families will call us home first without wasting any time. If we report the case to the police, then the families will also know and become a dreamer of something will be shattered.
Mangesh Sonawne, a 25-year-old mechanical engineer from Chandrapur in Maharashtra, also stressed that students are being harassed by agents but no one is helping them. “Agents are harassing students, coaching centers and PGs are harassing students. We have no place to complain but suffer. Every student should have a student cell,” he said.
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There are more libraries in the area
Students also raised the issue of library closures in the area, resulting in a lack of study space for students. “They have closed libraries but there are no new libraries in the area. Existing facilities that have not been closed have increased their rates. How many students can afford to pay Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 to the library? Sonane added.
Library shortages also began to affect the research. Thornan explained that students have different preferences for comfortable study and sleep times, which could impact roommates if they study in their rooms. “I live with five men. We study and sleep at different times. One student's study cycle should not affect another student,” he explained.
Limited money on hand, coupled with high rents in the area, forces students to live in groups to reduce the financial burden.
Sonane is one of the students who did not opt for tutoring because of the cost, instead relying on the library and friends for study materials. On the other hand, he also worked part-time at a library in the area to make some money.
Also Read | 3 students drowned as Delhi coaching center basement library had no drainage system: FIR | Exclusive
Deependra Singh Thakur from Indore said his studies were affected after the library where he studied was closed. However, he also said it would be of no value if they went back and studied it without raising the issue.
“If we don't object to what is happening to our classmates, then who will. At least morally it is important to be with them,” the 22-year-old said.
He also questioned the library owner's increase in fees. “If they still have humanity, they should not increase the fees. After many libraries are closed, most students are looking for new places to study. If they charge Rs 2,500, they should keep the amount the same and once the capacity is reached, they It should be said that they cannot accommodate more students but instead they have increased the rates and now only those from privileged backgrounds can afford this amount,” he said.
The students said they will continue to protest unless their issues are resolved and the authorities take concrete steps to ease their lives.
