NEW DELHI: The flooding of a coaching centre’s basement in Rajinder Nagar, which led to the death of three young IAS aspirants, brought the locality into national discourse. For many, it has become the textbook case that showcases the city’s recent decay of civic infrastructure.
However, residents of the locality say they have long suffered from poor infrastructure and congested streets. Owing to the low-lying nature of the area, waterlogging has been a persistent issue. Shops and street vendors encroaching over stormwater drains have made the situation worse. Inadequate sewage, garbage accumulation, and increased traffic congestion are other pressing concerns.
At the same time, residents say the proliferation of coaching centres, libraries, and paying guest accommodations has fundamentally altered the locality’s residential nature. In recent years, many residents have sold or rented their properties and moved to quieter, more peaceful neighbourhoods. As a result, residents now make up just 20% of the locality’s population.
With multiple coaching centres considering moving to lower-density areas like Noida, residents have begun seeing a way out of their woes.