After Delhi Flood Tragedy, Rajasthan’s Rising Coaching Hub In Sikar Risks Similar Crisis — Here's What We Found

The recent tragedy in which three civil services (UPSC) aspirants lost their lives due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar (ORN) has drawn urgent attention to longstanding infrastructure and civic issues.

Amid exam paper leaks and irregularities, students are increasingly worried about their safety and quality of life in coaching hubs following the Delhi incident.

Preparing for recruitment exams at the central and state levels is a major industry in India. For many, securing a government job is a singular dream. To fulfill this dream, coaching hubs have sprung up not only in Delhi but across various states.

While exam preparation remains the primary focus for aspirants in coaching centres, the recent tragedy has exposed an often-overlooked and less-discussed challenge students face in training centres.

The institutes in these hubs often try to maximize the use of available space and, when necessary, expand haphazardly. This was noticed even during Swarajya's visits to various coaching hubs across Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, undertaken to get an inside look at the exam paper leak issue.

Unfortunately, students have accepted the reality of cramped and, as it turns out, potentially deadly spaces. But the recent incident might lead to a change.

Old Rajinder Nagar’s Haphazard Growth

Established as a rehabilitation colony for refugees, ORN began to see expansion in the 1960s, when coaching institutes first popped up.

Today, the neighbourhood bears little resemblance to its origins, after the expansion of the coaching industry.

As per reports, while formulating the Delhi Master Plan 2021 in 2007, officials noted the socioeconomic change and relaxed floor area ratios (FAR) leading to the addition of floors and allowed mixed-use subject to conditions.

Thus, the new forms of development were primarily directed to cater to the booming coaching industry, which continues to grow as more students flock to these hubs each year.

The rapid growth led to haphazard expansion, even in the neighbouring colonies, where a preference for commercial activities to support the student culture took hold.

In the same vein, many basements, lacking strict enforcement, continued to be converted into commercial spaces by institutions, or repurposed for other uses.

Today, beyond the hundreds of coaching institutes lining the main roads, the by-lanes are densely packed with rental accommodations, bookstores, and eateries. These spaces have been developed with local logic aimed at squeezing in more and more students, often in unsafe conditions.

The shortcomings were well-known to those familiar with the area. Despite many aspirants studying here going on to become high-ranking officers who handle development concerns in various parts of the country, this training area rarely received broader attention.

Flooding of institute buildings, classrooms, and streets has been a recurring issue in this coaching hub. The unchecked expansion never received any efforts, not even to upgrade the drainage infrastructure to accommodate the growing student population.

However, the recent tragedy has shifted focus, with several media reports highlighting the poor conditions of Delhi's UPSC coaching hub.

The rising opposition has also underscored the importance of monitoring the growing coaching hubs in other states, where similar issues of flooding occur every year.

Sikar Could Meet A Similar Fate

Rajasthan's Sikar is emerging as a preferred coaching hub, particularly due to its recent success in NEET 2024.

However, as the region continues to expand with more coaching centres, it faces challenges similar to those seen in Old Rajinder Nagar.

The Nawalgarh Road in Sikar, where most coaching institutes are concentrated, remains prone to flooding. Even a small amount of rainfall is enough.

The nearly 2.5-kilometre (km) stretch, which serves as the main access route to all the institutes, shops, and bylanes to reach hostels, is frequently inundated. So much so that it leads to disruptions, choking access to the entire area and forcing class cancellations.

Those who continue to hold classes in these conditions expose students to new risks as they try to attend.

Besides, each rainy day requires institutes to make fresh calls based on the damage caused by flooding.

A few students tell Swarajya, "This happens every year. Most of us prefer to stay near the institute because we were informed about these situations when we joined. However, not everyone can find a place so close."

For those who live even across the road, crossing becomes next to impossible as the road gets clogged with water.

The only alternative for those coming from farther away is to jump across the railway tracks located behind one side of Nawalgarh Road. Students, both boys and girls, leap over tracks and climb walls to reach the institutes.

Autorickshaws generally avoid the area, with only a few willing to navigate the flooded by-lanes for the chance to charge high fares. Sometimes, auto fares climb up to four times the typical rate.

"There are no proper stormwater drains on this road. Last year, some work was done, but due to neglect by the authorities, a student tragically fell into an open pit and passed away. This is the kind of risk students face every day during the rains just trying to reach the centres," says a teacher at an institute.

"Because of this, we choose to close the institute during heavy rains for the students' safety. However, this decision impacts their preparation flow. These students need essentials daily, which also becomes a problem during these times. In the last five years, as the issue grew, no concern was shown by the state government."

Kamal, a teacher at one of the prominent institutes, tells Swarajya, “We all saw the tragic incident in Delhi. This area is heading in a similar direction. Buildings are expanding without adherence to norms, and more makeshift shops are popping up. But how are these basic civic issues going to be managed?”

“This is not the responsibility of teachers or students; we are doing our part. It’s up to the government and development authorities to address these infrastructural issues.”

Sikar has great growth potential and is becoming a preferred coaching hub for aspirants.

Observing the main coaching neighbourhood in a deluge reveals it has already reached saturation in managing flooding. Without regulation, further expansion could increase risks for aspirants and others.

The Delhi incident, and how it can occur anywhere else around the country, serves as a crucial alert for state authorities to monitor expansions closely and prioritise responsible development and infrastructure to prevent similar issues nationwide.