Covid kills economy of Delhi’s ‘coaching hubs’

or student guest houses—houses with single rooms, sharing rooms on different floors, with a bed, a table, a cooler or an AC. While a double room cost about ₹12,000 each in Old Rajender Nagar, in Mukherjee Nagar and Laxmi Nagar it cost about ₹8,000 each.

Today, almost all of them are empty.

“All 25 rooms in my guest house have remained unoccupied since May. My owner is demanding rent. Besides, I have to pay fixed electricity charges. I am not sure whether I should hand over the property to the owner, or wait for the students to come back. The problem is I have spent lakhs on furniture, and I do not know what to do with that,” says Rohit Tomar , who runs Tomar Luxury PG in Mukherjee Nagar.

Rajesh Tiwari, who runs MP Galaxy PG Boys hostel in Laxmi Nagar, faces a similar dilemma. “Today my 50-room guest house looks haunted. I have massive debts,” he says.

Jagdish Chandra Gosain, chairman of Mukherjee Nagar Niwasi Manch, an RWA in the neighbourhood, says the collapse of the coaching industry in the colony has created a livelihood crisis for a large number of people who were dependant on rent.

“About 50% house owners in the colony were dependent on rental income, and many of them moved to neighbouring colonies on rent after renting out their own houses to students,” says Gosain, adding most of those who operate student guest houses are from outside Delhi. “They locked the premises and moved to their native places. Property owners do not know what to do.”

Things are no better in south Delhi villages such as Ber Sarai and Jiya Sarai, other thriving student hubs in the capital. Their close proximity to IIT and JNU turned them into havens for students studying for various competitive examinations such as JEE ( Mains), CSIR NET, Jam , among others. Like elsewhere, most businesses catering to students are facing tough times.