No action taken on complaints: Karol Bagh residents

Karol Bagh resident Kishor Singh Kushwaha said on June 26, he filed a complaint against “classes being carried out illegally in the basement” of Rau’s IAS Study Circle.

A day after three students at Rau’s IAS Study Circle drowned to death in the basement of the institute, local residents on Sunday said that the authorities failed to act against the illegal use of basements in Old Rajendra Nagar, and the tragedy could have been averted.

MCD workers outside the 'Rao IAS Study Centre' in Old Rajinder Nagar in New Delhi. (ANI Photo)

Karol Bagh resident Kishor Singh Kushwaha said on June 26, he filed a complaint against “classes being carried out illegally in the basement” of Rau’s IAS Study Circle at Delhi’s Public Grievance Monitoring System (PGMS).

A copy of the complaint, seen by HT, shows that two reminders were sent on July 15 and July 22, asking for urgent action as the matter pertains to student security.

“If the administration had acted on time, this tragedy could have been averted… Many such libraries are being run from basements illegally without NOCs or safety norms. It is a case of negligence by the administration,” Kushwaha said.

Another local resident, Ashok Sharma, said the area faces frequent waterlogging, and a solution has not been found. “MCD knows that this area is flooded with water, but no one is willing to do their work.... Working out of basements is not allowed. A library is not allowed in the basement. But MCD allowed it run,” he added.