JAIPUR: Often hailed as India’s coaching capital, Kota in Rajasthan witnessed yet another tragic incident as a student died by suicide on intervening the night of Thursday and Friday. This marks the third such incident in two weeks, highlighting the failure of administrative measures aimed at addressing this deep-seated crisis. The recurring suicides are pushing Kota closer to the grim label of “suicide city.” In 2023, over two dozen student suicides were reported in Kota, followed by 16 cases in 2024. These alarming figures have led to a sharp decline in student enrolments. This year, only 1.1 lakh students arrived in the city, a significant drop from the earlier average of over two lakhs annually. Each student in Kota spends approximately Rs 2.5 lakh annually, contributing exclusively to coaching fees, faculty salaries, hostel and mess expenses, transportation, and local markets. This expenditure sustains an ecosystem that directly or indirectly employs over 1.5 lakh people. However, the decline in student numbers has severely impacted this ecosystem. Coral Park, a prime area developed for hostels, exemplifies this crisis. Designed to accommodate 32,000 students, it currently houses only 8,000 to 9,000 students. Infrastructure development in the area involved an investment of Rs 1,000 crore, but with hostels lying vacant, property rates have plummeted.
Source link
