Lecture Notes: Tragedy at Rau's IAS Institute and Urban Governance Issues in Delhi

Incident Overview

• Date: 27th July
• Location: Rau's IAS Coaching Institute, Old Rajender Nagar, Delhi
• Event: Basement flooded during heavy rain, leading to the deaths of 3 UPSC aspirants.
  • Victims: Navin Dalvin (PhD student, JNU), Tanya Soni (DU graduate), and Shreya Yadav (first UPSC aspirant from her village in UP).
• Immediate Cause: SUV driven by Manoj Kathuria allegedly sped past, causing water to breach the gate and flood the basement.
• Response: Police and disaster management arrived after an hour, but it was too late to save the students.

Issues Highlighted

Political Confusion and Infrastructure Failures

• Drainage Problems: Inadequate drainage in Old Rajender Nagar despite it being a hub for IAS/IFS aspirants.
• Political Blame Game: Multiple authorities blaming each other—Delhi's MP, state government, MCD, and Lieutenant Governor.
• Systemic Issues: Urban infrastructure in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru is described as