Mukherjee Nagar is a neighborhood in northern Delhi. It was named after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, a Bengali freedom fighter and politician.

Nearly twenty years back from today, it was considered as the best colony of Delhi as there are parks in front of each house, roads and streets are wide enough for moving and enough parking space is available. The residents were living happily.  From 2002-03, due to its nearness to DU, students from other states started coming to Mukherjee Nagar for preparation of UPSC examinations particularly Civil Services. This led to start of small coaching centres with small batches in the size of 20-30. Locals were also happy as they saw study culture started developing in their surroundings. Till 2012, everything was under control as the number of coaching centres were less. However, from the year 2013, the coaching centres started opening in huge numbers in this area due to influx of students not only for preparation of UPSC exams but also for other exams like SSB, CGL exam, Law, Engineering Services and many more. This caused huge requirement of PG  accommodation for students. The property financers and builders were attracted towards this new option of earning money and open numbers of PGs on top floor of every other building. Also illegal activities of construction of fourth floor also started and PGs  opened in them. The Municipality and Police are aware but never took any action. The PGs space offered to each student is usually very small area of size 6'X 10' and on a single floor live about 15-20 students in very clumsy way. The requirement of libraries were also felt by students and many people converted their floors in Libraries. They left Mukherjee Nagar as it is a lucrative option for them. They themselves shifted  to nearby places as the rent they need to pay is less than what they started earning from libraries and PGs. Some even left Mukherjee Nagar permanently and shifted to other peaceful places in Delhi.

 The student population living in Mukherjee Nagar alone is 10-12 lakhs however it is suitable for local population of around 1 lakh people. This has caused stress on the civic amenities in Mukherjee Nagar. Further some of the students living in PGs indulge in Carnal Activities and hooliganism during night disturbing the locals. Many students have committed suicide and many come here for illicit activities like capturing the house of elderly people. The whole environment is rotten. This has deteriorated the living  atmosphere of Mukherjee Nagar. With increase in student influx, the coaching institutes started conducting the competitive examination classes in a batch of 200-300 students in small space to earn more and more money.

And then came 15th June 2023, when a fire broke in a coaching centre on third floor of commercial complex building. Students were left with no option but to resort to jump from third floor to save their lives. Many were injured and some even died (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xP9hVzM_aQA

In the wake of this situation,  High Court Delhi in WP(C) 12182/2016 passed an order on 25th July 2023 to seal all those coaching institutes which are not having fire NOC from Delhi Fire Department and all other commercial activities which require fire NOC such as PGs and Libraries operating in Mukherjee Nagar.

Then another fire incident happened in a girls PG in N Block of Mukherjee Nagar on 27th September 2023 and more than 20 Fire Brigades were put into service and more than 30 girl students were saved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgo1msiNUWU&t=49s

The situation is such that very few coaching institutes may have fire NOC but none of the PGs and Libraries have fire NOC. 

To save the human lives, We, as citizens, propose that all Coaching Institutes, Libraries and PGs  operating without Fire NOC and without the permission of local municipality should be closed permanently.