State recruitment uncertainty dents govt job dream in Dharwad’s ‘Kota’

Dharwad: A cluster of narrow streets in Saptapur has evolved into one of north Karnataka's largest competitive exam coaching hubs, with nearly 45 to 50 institutes operating from rented buildings and drawing thousands of govt job aspirants every year. Often dubbed as Dharwad's ‘Kota', the locality recently came into focus after coaching centres played a key role in mobilising candidates for a large rally, demanding filling up of over 40,000 vacant posts across state govt departments. For the second time in six months, aspirants staged a massive protest, prompting the state govt to announce plans to recruit more than 50,000 candidates over the next year.
Graduates, postgraduates, engineering students preparing for various central and state services and allied posts, and teachers' recruitment examinations reside in Dharwad for coaching. Many are also enrolled in postgraduate courses at Karnatak University and nearby colleges, using the city as a base camp for long-haul preparations. Most aspirants come from farming and lower middle-class families and prefer Dharwad over Bengaluru due to lower living costs. However, owners of these coaching centers admit that uncertainty over state recruitment in recent years has affected both preparation plans and the stability of the coaching ecosystem in Saptapur. Candidates such as Sachin Pujar, Rahul Bagi from Yadagiri, Huligemma Nayak from Koppal, Harashtha Gouda from Mangaluru and N Ningamma Padashetti from Kalaburagi said each aspirant spends around Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 annually on hostel accommodation, food and related expenses during their stay in Saptapur. Many continue with their preparations for two to three years in the hope of landing a govt job. Over the years, Saptapur has developed into a self-contained ecosystem. Coaching centres function from rented premises, while eateries, hotels, stationery shops, hostels, paying guest accommodations, 24-hour libraries and mess facilities cater to these job aspirants and students. Some institutes provide in-house hostel and mess facilities. Several centres also operate mobile applications and YouTube channels to attract aspirants from Kittur Karnataka, Kalyana Karnataka, the coastal districts, Tumakuru and Davangere. Laxman Uppar, the founder chairman of the Classic KAS and IAS study centre, said Saptapur's transformation began when students who could not secure university hostels started staying in paying guest accommodations in the area. He said he started coaching classes for teachers' recruitment and Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) entrance examinations in 1997-98 and moved his operations to Saptapur in 2009-10. He said the stretch from KCD Circle to Srinagar Cross has evolved into a coaching hub over the past 15 years. The institute also publishes ‘Spardha Spoorti', a monthly general knowledge magazine for competitive exam aspirants. Veeresh Meeti, the coordinator of Gurudev Coaching Centre, said most institutes focus on police sub-inspector (PSI), police constable (PC), first division assistant (FDA), second division assistant (SDA), and teachers' recruitment exams. Due to limited state recruitment over the past three-four years, centres have moved their focus to Staff Selection Commission general duty (SSC GD), multi-tasking Staff (MTS), Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) non-technical posts, Group D Central govt jobs and banking examinations. Monthly coaching fees range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000, and in some institutes up to Rs 25,000, depending on the course. Siddanna Dalwayi, the founder director of Spardha Genius Academy, said absence of a recruitment drive for state govt jobs has forced many candidates to return to their native places. He said earlier, enrolment ranged between 600 and 800 students in small and medium institutes and 1,000 to 1,500 in larger centres. Currently, numbers have fallen to 100 to 150 in smaller centres and 500 to 600 in larger ones. Some institutes are struggling to meet rent and staff salary expenses, he said, urging the govt to issue recruitment notifications. Basavaraj Jenakatti, founder of Yuvaratna Career Academy, said their focus is on defence and Central govt posts, citing lack of state govt appointments.