New Delhi, July 30 (IANS): UPSC aspirants who had been on a silent protest in Old Rajendra Nagar in protest over the recent deaths of three coaching students due to sudden waterlogging in the basement of RAU Coaching Centre, on Tuesday asked the Delhi Government to increase the compensation amount to be given to the next of kin of the deceased.

They want the compensation to be in the range of Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore each for the families of the three UPSC aspirants who died in the July 27 incident, as against the Rs 10 lakh promised by the Delhi Government.

UPSC aspirant Daksh Sharma told IANS, "We are on a silent protest. We don't have any strategy to fight with anyone. We just want some answers and compensation for the deceased. Rs 10 lakh is not the value of a life. The three people who died, their families should receive Rs 1 crore at least.

“The PWD, MCD, BSES, and Delhi Jal Board should be held accountable for the poor conditions here. We need to force these agencies to follow proper SOPs or they won't improve. LG VK Saxena visited us and asked about our demands. We told him that the living conditions here are terrible and the families of the three deceased students should get Rs 1 crore each as compensation. He assured us that he would raise the issue in Parliament and form a committee to address it."

Sharma added, "To prevent such incidents from happening again, the government should shut down unauthorised underground coaching centres. The MCD should also check PG accommodations and buildings with illegal expansions. Our protest will continue until proper SOPs are established. We haven't made any demands to political parties. Some leaders visited but didn't ask us anything. Durgesh Pathak, our representative, hasn't taken responsibility either, despite knowing about the waterlogging issue for the last 20-30 years."

Another UPSC aspirant, Robin told IANS, "We have many demands. First, provide Rs 5 crore compensation to the family of each deceased student. Second, a committee from the Ministry of Home Affairs should quickly take action on this. Third the MCD should come and apologise along with the MLA and MP.

“LG Saxena visited us and spoke to us regarding the issues we face but there has been no action as yet. The problem of the poor drainage system here is decades old, and the MCD only comes to collect bribes. We shouldn't wait for such tragedies to happen again. Strict action is needed to prevent future incidents."