EXCLUSIVE/ Rising Rent, Costly Libraries and Never Ending Struggle Haunt UPSC Aspirants in Delhi

New Delhi: With just a few weeks remaining for the UPSC Mains exam 2024, IAS aspirants in Delhi are facing a new challenge -- inflated price of library membership-- following a crackdown by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) against illegal basements in the national capital.

Amid uproar over Rau's IAS Study Circle tragedy in which three IAS aspirants drowned at the flooded basement of the institute, the civic body has sealed many libraries in parts of Delhi, leading to dearth of libraries in the city. Now, the students are left in a lurch with limited options of conducive environment to study peacefully.

Some of the students protesting outside the Rau's coaching centre said that after the sealing of several libraries that were operating from basements in the localities, the demand and supply chain of library has been disrupted and that remaining libraries have hiked their prices, mounting troubles for students who are already struggling with financial woes.

'No Alternative Place to Study'

A student named Mayank (name changed) told that  several coaching centres and libraries that were running illegally in basements have been sealed by MCD, leaving them with alternative place to study except their accommodation.

"Every student who prepares for the UPSC has to study atleast for 9-10 hours based on their capacity. This tragedy has deeply impacted the student community, leaving behind psycological scars. This is traumatic. Study points at basements have been closed but there is no alternate solution. We are forced to study in room just like we did during Covid-19 pandemic. The study centres that are not operating from basements have increased their prices according to their demand and supply. Maximum study points here were running illegally from basement and the irony is that we didn't know that they were illegal. Had we known that they were illegal, we wouldn't have taken admission there, " said Mayank.

He told that many coaching centres have come forward in giving assistance to students of Rau's centre.

‘Finding Decent Accommodation Facility a Challenge’

Speaking about the issues faced by UPSC aspirants coming from other states to Delhi, another IAS aspirant, Rupak Kumar, said the first challenge for them is to find a decent accommodation facility at Old Rajinder Nagar area as brokers sometime charge three times the rent price.

'I'm Scared to Go to Basement Now'

Highlighting why sealing of libraries have impacted students, Sarvesh Tiwari, a UPSC aspirant from Chhattisgarh and student of Next IAS, said, "This incident has left people in shock. Before this tragedy, student were studying in basements freely, including me. We thought they were legal. After this incident several libraries in basements have been sealed and this has left a negative impact as about 95% libraries in this area were operating from basements. So, the students who are living in double-triple sharing rooms don't have enough space for them to study properly so access to library is important for them. Now, libraries housed on ground and upper floors have almost doubled their prices to Rs 5,000.  A room here normally costs around Rs 20,000. This has worsened our financial woes. Government should come up with alternative options."

"The basement libraries that have been sealed not only have waterlogging issues but also prone to earthquake and fire threat. I am scared to go to basement now. Once my coaching is over, I will relocate," he added.

Student also said that not only them but their parents are worried after the deaths as they were calling them back home. They also express apprehension in touching iron gates after the electrocution of a UPSC aspirant.

Shift to Online Mode Negatively Impacting Students

Ayush, a UPSC student from Ahmedabad, said that almost 5,000-6,000 students come to Delhi especially before Mains exams. "Now libraries have been closed, where will they go now?" he asked. 

"This is nothing but just a tip of an iceberg. Now many institutes have been closed. The big classrooms with over 200 students used to witness group discussions and today those discussions are not taking place. The need for which people were coming to Delhi is not being fulfilled. Here, room rent will cost at least 15,000.  All the money is getting wasted since they can't study the way they want given the overcrowded rooms and poor facilities."

He added, "Almost 65% of coaching centres operated from basements and after their closure, students are in a fix. Many students don't even know what optional subject to choose. They take coaching for it and now these centres have been closed. Many students 
even do odd jobs at these centres to support themselves financially. If taken this in note, this is a big loss in terms of employment."

Rising Demand for Room Rent Capping

The students also demanded a cap in room rent and coaching centres fees. One of the students said, "These brokers are sitting like vultures, waiting to target a student."

Rajat, an UPSC from Faridabad, said, "Here a broker charges rent of 21 days as brokerage. A nexus of broker is operating here. They earn around 8-9 lakhs in admission season. A one room set with a bedroom and kitchen can cost around 20,000 here. Government should come up with a plan to regulate rent."

Apart from dealing with financial constraints, the students even have to deal with societal and peer pressure. The UPSC Mains exam is scheduled to be held on September 20 and the recent coaching centre tragedy continues to haunt them. The swift action by MCD in sealing the underground/basements study points has negatively impacted the students by leaving them with limited and expensive options, acting as a hinderance in keeping up their preparation momentum. As the national capital has returned to its routine, the student hope for a real change which can make their lives little easy.