Set up to provide training to underprivileged youth, this Old Delhi skills institute is struggling in darkness

The premises have been without electricity for over a month now, owing to a pending bill of Rs 31 lakh.

The building is owned by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), which leased the space to the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU)-affiliated Lighthouse Communities Foundation, the NGO, which offers skill development programmes to underprivileged youth.

The foundation argued that it had only been using the premises since October 10, 2023, and was not liable to pay the bill owed to the power distribution companies (discoms) by DUSIB; the latter, on the other hand, said they have no knowledge of the matter. “We operate in collaboration with the DSEU and have been using this community center since October last year. However, for the past month, there has been no electricity, causing numerous issues for our students,” said an official from the Lighthouse Foundation, the Matia Mahal Branch of which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last year.

The foundation provides courses in office management, beauty and wellness, and stitching, with over 1,000 enrollments in the past year. Many students come from families with an annual income of less than ₹2 lakh, and half of them are women. “Our batch had just begun when the electricity connection stopped. The entire building was plunged into darkness, making it difficult for us to navigate our way out,” said 18-year-old Shivam Mishra, a student pursuing the foundation course.

Suniel Kumar Aledia, Executive Director of the Center for Holistic Development, an NGO in the vicinity, has urged Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to intervene in the matter. “The students at DSEU are grappling with significant issues related to sanitation and access to drinking water due to the absence of electricity supply… Students are unable to attend classes regularly due to this…” the letter stated.

While a portion of the community centre’s electricity supply was restored on April 10 after partial payment of the arrears, the section used by the Lighthouse Foundation remains without power. The foundation officials said they have been asked by DUSIB to contribute to the electricity bill, which they find unjustified.

“To restore our connection, the DUSIB is asking us to pay part of the electricity bill…we have seen the bill amount and it should not be more than a few thousand rupees per month for the whole building…it makes no sense as to why we should pay the electricity bill which now runs into lakhs,” an official of the Lighthouse Foundation said.

When contacted, DUSIB officials — CEO Manish Kumar Gupta and Principal Director PK Jha — claimed to be unaware of the matter, while discom officials stated that electricity was restored after the university made a partial payment. They attributed any ongoing issues to internal wiring problems and stressed that electricity supply to the community centre had been restored from their end.

The students, meanwhile, continue to function in darkness. “Due to the lack of fans, the rooms become extremely humid. Opening windows for ventilation would disrupt classes due to construction noise, and even monkeys would occasionally enter the classroom,” said 19-year-old Rifa Faruqui.

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