Rau's IAS centre tragedy: The high cost of libraries in coaching hubs

Success stories in movies and TV shows like 12th Fail, Aspirants, and Kota Factory have driven many students to coaching centres, while the traditional 'hard work' approach has led many aspirants into

The drowning of three civil service aspirants in the library of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar early Sunday has not just trained the spotlight on coaching hubs, but also on libraries which are often relegated to illegal basements meant for parking and other storage activities.

These centres, often found flouting crucial safety regulations, put the lives of hundreds of students at risk.

With the success stories of movies like 12th Fail and shows such as Aspirants and Kota Factory, the rush for ‘hustling’ to make it big has thrown many students into the mix of coaching centres, while the conventional ‘hard work’ by isolation has put many of these aspirants inside libraries. 

 

Consequently, private libraries have emerged as an intrinsic shadow of the coaching centres with the students frequenting such libraries to study in a quiet and peaceful environment.

However, with minimal effort from the library owners towards ensuring safety, these libraries have turned into death traps.

The cost of private libraries

With fierce competition, soaring aspirations, and limited seats, these coaching institutes have become an integral part of the Indian education system. And along with them have grown the demand for a conducive environment to carry on the mantle of ‘hard-work’ and undisturbed studies in libraries.

Charging between Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 monthly, these libraries have become essential for students following their coaching classes. Almost as crucial as the coaching sessions, students frequent these libraries throughout the day, with many remaining open 24 hours from Monday to Saturday, and some operating throughout the week.

However, emergency exits are rarely found in these libraries, making them dangerous traps for those unfortunate enough to find themselves stuck in an emergency. Open and faulty wiring systems, as well as weak and outdated infrastructures put many unsuspecting students at high risk.

How did Rau’s coaching tragedy unfold?

Media reports indicate that when sewage water began flooding the coaching centre, the malfunctioning biometric system trapped students in the basement library. 

An initial investigation revealed the absence of a proper drainage system at both the institute and the adjacent road. Furthermore, the coaching centre lacked authorisation to operate a library in its basement.

According to a report by the Times of India, numerous libraries, such as Bureaucrats Library, Usha Library, Vajiram Library, Durga Library, Sriram Library, and Page 1 Library, are situated in the basements of residential buildings in the Old Rajinder Nagar area.

Similarly, there are many such libraries running in the ‘UPSC hub’ Mukherjee Nagar as well.

Rau’s library was running illegally

Authorities have revealed that the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, where the incident occurred, was illegally functioning as a library. The institute had falsely claimed the basement was used for parking and storage in its building plan and fire department NOC. 

An MCD official said, “The building completion certificate clearly specifies the basement for parking and storage only, indicating the library was operating illegally.”