New Delhi: One of the largest coaching institutes in Mukherjee Nagar, Drishti IAS is relocating to Noida after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sealed its centre for running classes in a basement following the deaths of three civil servant aspirants in Old Rajender Nagar in July.
Many other coaching institutes are also considering to take the same path due to the deteriorating infrastructure and lack of improvements in the West Delhi locality.
As classes remain suspended, scores of coaching institute owners, small business owners, landlords, and aspirants are living in anxiety. Even students are worried with many of them already relocating to areas like Karol Bagh and Wazirabad.
“Mukherjee Nagar may become an empty place in the near future as most of the coaching institutes will have to move out. This is because most of the buildings don’t meet government requirements, and the infrastructure cannot fulfil the rules for fire and safety NOCs,” a senior management member of Drishti told ThePrint.
Drishti has already scouted several locations in Noida, the management member confirmed.
“Several coaching institutes have expressed their intention to shift to the new location where we’ll go,” the senior management member added.
There are more than 100 coaching institutes in Mukherjee Nagar, and all of them are facing the same problems related to safety norms. The MCD had sealed the basements of at least 20 coaching centres in Rajendra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar following the three deaths in a flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle on 27 July.
In Mukherjee Nagar, tea stalls, stationery shops, and food kiosks are struggling as the once bustling narrow lanes have gone quiet.
“Since the protests, our business has plummeted by 75 percent. There are so many shops here, but with students leaving, there’s no business. If this continues, we’ll have to consider other options,” Ashish Yadav, a worker at GS Photostat, told ThePrint.
Students, too, are anxious about finding accommodation. “We’re receiving hundreds of inquiries from students asking about relocation. They want to know where to move. We’ll be announcing our new location soon so that students can make the necessary arrangements,” the Drishti representative said.
The biggest challenge, according to the representative, now is finding affordable housing options for students.
“We’ve shortlisted a few buildings, but our priority is ensuring that our students can relocate comfortably. Most likely, we’ll vacate Mukherjee Nagar very soon,” the management member said.
“We did a survey among the students through our online platform. Noida and Karol Bagh are the top choices. So we’ve decided to go with the students’ preferences. We have already started classes at the Karol Bagh centre and are in the process of finalising the location of the Noida centre very soon,” he added.
The coaching major assured that all safety measures would be taken care of at its Noida address.
“Drishti IAS is committed to providing a secure and well-equipped learning environment at its Noida campus. The classrooms will include all necessary safety features, and the campus will be situated in an area where students can find affordable accommodation and essential amenities,” Drishti Deputy CEO Vivek Tiwari told ThePrint.
“Given the government’s actions to curb the illegal use of infrastructure in the area, Mukherjee Nagar is likely to see the closure of all coaching institutions, leaving it empty,” he added.
At the height of protests by UPSC aspirants, some of them had approached Drishti IAS founder and managing director Vikas Divyakirti, urging him to stand with them. Subsequently, he had issued a statement apologising for his centre operating from a basement and promising full cooperation with the government.
“The students’ anger over this incident is completely justified. It would be beneficial if this anger is channelled toward advocating for better government policy guidelines for coaching institutes. We are fully prepared to cooperate with the government in this regard,” Divyakirti had said.
Drishti had also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the three of the three UPSC aspirants who drowned in the flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar on the evening of 27 July.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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