Dreams of becoming an IAS are seen in box-like rooms without windows, such is the story of the struggle of UPSC candidates.

Lakhs of people disembark at Delhi Railway Station every day, and many of those who disembark on the platform have a hope of achieving something. Some come with the desire to earn money and some with the dream of becoming something. These are mostly young people. There is a sadness in their eyes about leaving home but there is also a sparkle of becoming an IAS. But the coaching center accident that happened in the Rajendra Nagar area on 27th July has exposed the coaching centers and all the comforts and facilities.

They live in rooms without windows.

When you go to Rajendra Nagar or any coaching hub area, you will find that civil service candidates live as paying guests in small, windowless rooms, where common people would not like to live at all. But the dream that grows in their eyes gives them the relief that one day they will also come when they will become officers and live their desired life gives them the strength to live there.

The story is the same for all.

Whether it is Old Rajendra Nagar or Mukherjee Nagar, the script of many coaching centers in Delhi is almost the same. A civil service aspirant from UP, who has been living in a room on the ground floor in Rajendra Nagar for the last one and a half years, said, "Almost every landlord in Rajendra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar has converted his house into a paying guest house." A student studying in a coaching center in Mukherjee Nagar said that the number of students is very high and the space is very small, so the situation is like this, people from poor families have very few options to live here.

PG owners want money.

He said, "To earn a lot of money, PG owners divide a big room into different parts with curtains. About 5-6 students live in such rooms." Generally in such situations, students think, "Bear it for now, once I get a job, there will be servants and helpers in the future." Many civil service aspirants living in two coaching centres in the city say that they live in windowless basements, which get flooded every time there is heavy rain. They say that the cost of such rooms is almost half as compared to rooms on the ground floor or upper floors.

More money to live on upper floors

Another civil service aspirant said, "If someone wants to live on the ground or upper floors, he will have to spend at least Rs 25,000 to 30,000 per month. Those who are living in the basement have to pay about Rs 15,000 to 20,000 per month. There is a risk but money is saved." After the incident of death of three civil service aspirants due to waterlogging in the basement of a coaching institute in Old Rajendra Nagar, the students said that they are risking their lives by living in such basements. Despite this, they glorify their struggle.

PGs and classrooms are in the same condition

“It is the allure of civil services that such problems are overlooked,” said a student. Not only are PGs crowded, but classrooms are also in the same condition. Despite the lack of proper facilities, the number of students keeps increasing. Even if there are 100 students in a classroom, the owners try to accommodate more than 120 to 125 students. “Those who are unable to sit or come to class are given recorded video material which they study sitting in the basement library,” said a student preparing for the civil services exam.

Renting out basements is illegal

Renting out basements as PGs is illegal, as the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021 allows such spaces to be used only for storage, parking and utility areas. Another IAS aspirant from Assam said, “Suddenly the government has become strict, but it is only a matter of time since one incident happened. In reality, nothing will be implemented. The problem will remain the same. This situation is not limited to only Rajendra Nagar coaching institutes. Everyone's problem is the same.