“I checked the portal several times to see if action was taken on my complaint… I sent reminders… these deaths are not an accident, they are murder,” said Kishore Singh Khushwa, a 29-year-old civil services exam aspirant from Gwalior, who had complained to the city government against Rau’s IAS Study Circle running a library from the basement illegally.
It was at this very coaching centre that three students died on Saturday, trapped in its flooded basement as floodwaters rose outside following heavy rain.
Another aspirant, Kanishka Tewari, had complained to the Public Works Department about the persistent waterlogging and highlighted the threat of electrocution because of “naked wires lying everywhere” –only three days before Saturday’s incident.
Both complaints were forwarded to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Both went unheeded.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Kushwah said he was aware of the laws governing the MCD and decided to take up the issue of the illegal basement at the popular coaching centre.
“It is a new building so I thought it may not have the requisite NOC from the MCD to operate in such conditions. This is why I filed a complaint on June 26,” he said.
The building was completed in 2021 and was granted the completion certificate. It was only allowed to park cars and store items in the basement. Yet, no action was taken by the MCD even as a library was running in violation of norms. Kushwah said while he wasn’t a student at Rau’s IAS Study Circle, he was studying for the exam in the same area.
“I sent my first reminder on July 15; I requested the MCD to look into my complaint. Again there was no response. I again sent a reminder on July 22. This time I pleaded with the MCD telling them it’s an issue of student safety. They never responded,” he said.
He shifted to Delhi to prepare for the exam in 2017. “I have been shuttling between Gwalior and Delhi regularly. I studied engineering, then completed an MBA in Finance, followed by a Master’s in Sociology. I am currently pursuing a PhD in social work from Vikrant University in Gwalior,” he said.
“My parents were extremely worried after learning about these deaths. They asked me to return home and I did. They don’t want me to go back. I was preparing for the exam in Delhi, I won’t be able to do that here in Gwalior,” he added. When asked why no action was taken, a senior MCD official said, “Four officials of the building department of Karol Bagh Zone had been suspended for forging signatures of an IAS officer on June 26 due to which no action was being taken by the department… a new team of the building department has recently joined.” The building department of each MCD zone generally has five to six officials — the Chief Engineer, Assistant Engineer, Executive Engineer, Junior Engineer and an Officer in-charge.
Old Rajinder Nagar is under the Karol Bagh zone.
Meanwhile, in her complaint regarding waterlogging, Tewari wrote: “The monsoon season is here and in Karol Bagh, Old Rajinder Nagar, the issue of waterlogging has been going on for two years. The very hazardous thing is common cases of electrocution. Naked wires are lying everywhere, a life-threatening sign for people. We have seen many fatal cases in Delhi that led to deaths. It is a very humble request to take immediate action…”
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