Delhi Coaching Centre Flooding: Problem of Water Accumulation is an Old One: Eyewitnesses and Students Tell How Accident Took Place

Three students have died due to water-logging in the basement of a UPSC coaching centre in Rajendra Nagar area of ​​Delhi. 

The victims have been identified as Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav -- both aged 25 -- and Navin Delvin, 28. While Tania was from Telangana and Shreya from Uttar Pradesh, Navin was a resident of Kerala.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi called the incident "the height of negligence and mismanagement."

"I pray to God for the departed souls and the bereaved families. Recently, a student died due to electric shock in Patel Nagar. It is the height of negligence and mismanagement that the lives of children who come here from far-off places to fulfill their dreams are being snatched away from them," she wrote on X.

'There is no proper drainage system'

Eyewitnesses said that the problem of water accumulation is an old one in the area where the coaching centre is located. They said there is no proper drainage system here and cleaning is also not done regularly.

'Living arrangements for students are not good'

A student who has studied in a coaching institute here said that the living arrangements for the students here are also not good. Electricity wires are also lying down at many places, due to which anyone can get an electric shock.

He said, "Brokerage for rented rooms here is also very expensive. There are no good facilities here, but students are forced to live in these areas." 

'Gate of the centre broke due to the speed of the water'

Vijay, who runs a food stall near the coaching centre, said that due to rain on Saturday, a lot of water had accumulated on the road near the coaching centre.

He said, "It rained here at 6 pm on Saturday evening and there was a lot of water here. After some time, a car came speedily and the water accumulated on the road entered the basement of the coaching centre very rapidly."

"After the car left, the gate of the centre broke due to the speed of the water. Consequently, the water entered inside. It always rains but the gate is kept closed, so the water does not enter inside."

Students are demanding justice

After the incident, students began protesting outside the coaching institute in the area. The students are demanding justice in this matter and are raising slogans against the Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Many angry students were moving towards the coaching centre. But the police stopped them by putting up barricades.

'Coaching owners and teachers exhibit worst attitude'

A student told the media, "It is being told that three students have died. But no officer or administration is giving the official figures."

She said, "The worst attitude is of the coaching owners and teachers. Such a big incident happened but not a single teacher has come here to support the students. No one has come here."

She said that libraries have been built in the basement of many buildings in this area.

'90 pc of the libraries are in the basement'

Another student said, "There is a nexus between political leaders, MCD officials and land owners. 90 percent of the libraries are in the basement. Students live in small rooms, there are no windows in them. It is suffocating."

He said further, "There is no infrastructure, people have encroached the road. Doesn't MCD Delhi see this? This incident is the result of the nexus between political leaders, MDC Delhi and the owners of coaching institutes."

Talking about the attitude of the owners of coaching institutes, one student said, "They do not communicate with us. Generally, it is very difficult to meet them. In such a situation, how can one expect to tell them our problems."

He said, "No one talks to the students who are facing these conditions. This happens every day, we always feel unsafe."

One of the students agitated by the incident, Ajay Thakur, said, "Delhi is not an ordinary city. This is the capital. Be it the central or state government or the local administration, they should be ashamed of such incidents. Such incidents are happening in the capital."

He said, "Last year, students had to jump down from the second and third floors due to a fire in a coaching institute. Last week, a student died due to electric shock."

"Coaching institutes charge exorbitant fees and promise parents that their children will become officers and collectors. However, these institutes fail to even ensure the safety of the students. Both the coaching institutes and the administration remain silent on the number of fatalities. This is not merely a case of death; it is outright murder."