Anjali Gopnarayan, a 24-year-old UPSC aspirant who died by suicide at her PG in Old Rajender Nagar last month, left behind a three-page note saying that “there seems to be nothing but problems and challenges,” including the high rents of PG accommodations and hostels that are unaffordable for many. 

The daughter of an assistant sub-inspector in the Maharashtra police, Anjali belonged to Akola district in Maharashtra and had been preparing for the civil services examination for two years in Delhi. In her last note, she expressed her struggles with failure in the UPSC exam, rising unemployment, alleged examination scams, and the purported “exploitation” of students by PG and hostel owners in Old Rajendra Nagar. She also wrote that “despite seeking medical help, my mental health has not improved”.

The mental stress and hardships that were endured by Anjali are a reality faced by many students living in Delhi’s coaching hub – Old Rajendra Nagar and Karol Bagh areas. Following the death of three students in the flooding at Rau’s IAS coaching centre in Old Rajendra Nagar on July 27, demands have been rife to regulate coaching institutes, PGs and hostels, and introduce a legal cap on rent.   

Anjali’s father Anil Gopnarayan told Newslaundry that they haven’t lodged an FIR but “brokers and landlords have gone to extreme lengths to exploit students coming from other cities. Although the rent agreement was for 11 months, they still increased the rent within six months. If the new rent is not paid, they ask tenants to vacate the room, so they can get brokerage from a new tenant.”  

One of Anjali’s PG mates, who did not want to be identified, said that “the kind of mental pressure Anjali was under is something most of the students experience. The problem begins when we spend two or three years preparing and don’t get selected. We start feeling guilty about asking for money from our parents, and begin to minimise our expenses. Anjali was doing the same”. 

The UPSC aspirant said that Anjali lived in a small 8x6 ft room that initially cost her Rs 15,500 per month. But about five days before her demise, landlady Heena Bhatia had reportedly increased the rent to Rs 18,000 and warned that those who couldn’t pay should vacate the room. Newslaundry reached out to Bhatia, but she refused to speak on the matter.

Students hold survey, complain of rent hike, no maintenance of PGs 

Following student outrage, the Delhi government announced plans to issue regulations for coaching institutes and related facilities. Additionally, it invited student representatives for consultation on these new measures.

Raja, a student and coordinator of the Aspirant Reform Committee, told Newslaundry that a team of 10 student representatives will meet government officials over coaching centres regulations. Another set of students will meet the authorities over PG and hostel regulations.

Two students – Shubham of Jharkhand and Portia from Himachal Pradesh – also conducted a survey of at least 400 students residing in Rajendra Nagar, Karol Bagh, and Patel Nagar, over the issues faced by them. 

Shubham said, “There is no rent regulation here, landlords increase the rent whenever they want, and if we disagree, we are told to vacate the room. Although the rent agreement is for 11 months, the landlords often hike it after just six months. Most of the time, they don’t even return our security deposit, claiming we are vacating too early.”

He further said that most students have “no choice but to leave the room or PG because there is no regulatory body to address our complaints”. 

Portia alleged that there is no maintenance at most of the PGs and hostels, so students bear the maintenance expenses themselves. “They [PG owners] don’t consider us humans. We leave our homes behind to study here, but these people can’t even provide us with a conducive environment for learning. If something goes wrong in the PG, like an issue with the fan, AC, or something in the kitchen, they refuse to take responsibility for fixing it. When we complain, they simply tell us to either get it fixed ourselves or vacate the room.”

Notably, the rules under the Delhi Rent Control Act have been amended from time to time. But most of the students and landlords who spoke to Newslaundry were purportedly unaware of its regulations.

Basement ‘rooms’ with no ventilation, security deposit not returned 

On visiting Patel Nagar, Newslaundry found several PGs operating in basements. Many of them had also converted small spaces under staircases into "rooms”. These 8x6 rooms lack proper ventilation, but the rent would still cost Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per month.

Pragya Mishra, a native of Bihar who has been living in Old Rajendra Nagar for over two years, said that her previous landlord “suddenly increased the rent from Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000, forcing her to leave the room”. As she was unable to find another room for Rs 12,000, she shifted into a “basement room” for which shelled out one month’s rent as security deposit and Rs 8,000 as brokerage fee. 

But after moving in, she discovered issues of lack of ventilation and dampness in the room. She said it was “difficult to live or study there”. She then complained to the landlord and the broker, requesting them to return her security deposit and brokerage, but she “did not receive a single penny”. 

But Pragya’s case was not an anomaly. In the students’ survey, about 150 of them reported that their previous landlords did not even return their security deposit.

Archana from Jharkhand, who moved to Old Rajendra Nagar two months ago, said that she rented an 8x8 single-occupancy basement room for Rs 14,000 rent, along with Rs 22,000 for security deposit and brokerage. But in the wake of the recent protests, her PG sealed the basement rooms and moved the students to the upper floors. 

She said she has been allotted a small double-occupancy for Rs 12,000 each person, and as she protested, the landlord told her that could “either accept the new arrangement or vacate the room”.

She told Newslaundry: “It has been only two months. How can I ask my family to send more money so I can pay brokerage again for a new room? So, I am staying here out of necessity.” 

The students are now also demanding that the brokerage system be abolished and an online portal be set up for direct negotiations between landlords and students. Newslaundry reached out to several brokers and landlords in Old Rajendra Nagar regarding the students’ complaints, but they refused to comment on the matter.

(Translated by Chandan Singh Rajput)

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