Jostling crowds, a never-ending stream of traffic and a street that never sleeps, is what defines the area in and around the Laxmi Nagar Metro Station.

 Look around and the buildings on Vikas Marg seem burdened with the weight of red and blue kiosks and huge banners emblazoned with the names of some well known Chartered Accountant or the other, some offering their services to help you file your annual tax returns, other more enterprising offering tutorials and chartered accountancy (CA) coaching classes to aspiring students. 

If the area around Delhi University like Mukherjee Nagar, Kingsway Camp, Hudson Lane boast of being the IAS aspirants’ hub, then certainly the Vikas Marg/Laxmi Nagar stretch is a favo­urite haunt for those hoping to crack the tough CA exams. The area is abuzz with students and their friends-cum-classmates attending classes or taking a well-deserved break gorging on hot sam­osas, spicy kachaudis and chhole kulche, from the local street side vendor.

Meanwhile, the vehicular movement on the main road – Vikas Marg is at its peak. Road is jam packed with public transport, cars, scooters and motorbike whereas the pedestrian line is overcrowded with students and haphazardly parked vehicles. Such is the scenario at Laxmi Nagar, the hub of CA coaching classes and favourite haunt of shoppers looking for pocket-friendly deals at the thriving one-stop market for household and electronic items.

The place is also quite popular among people coming from different states for jobs. Easy and cheap accommodation and availability of public transport makes Laxmi Nagar a popular destination for migrants. But over the years the place has become more popular among CA aspirants.

“It did not happen in one night,” says Anurag Vasshistha, director, Indian Commerce Institute. “As we know Ghaffar Market is famous for phones and Nai Sarak for sarees, likewise, Laxmi Nagar is known for CA classes. Undoubtedly, one person must have opened the centre here which became popular among students. Thereafter, others also opened coaching centres to attract students. It ultimately led to competition among coaching centres and students also realised they can get the best of the guidance in this central place,” he says. 

Another reason responsible for the place emerging as a CA coaching hub is, “Its close proximity to The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) head office at ITO and another office at Vishwas Nagar. Laxmi Nagar is located right in the middle of these two areas,” says Anurag, who has been teaching since last four years. Interestingly, owing to the competition among the coaching centres, CA aspirants have the advantage to select a coaching centre as per their budget. For instance for level one – Common Proficiency Test (CPT) they have the option to choose from Rs 13,000 to 18,000 and above. 

For Integrated Professional Competence Course (IPCC) they can pay from Rs 27,000 to 35,000. Also, those who wish to study only specific subjects like costing, accounts, law, taxation or financial management can do so on payment of Rs 12,000 and onwards. 

Since the place is flooded with students, PG and hostel facilities have been mushrooming too. 

“Students easily get accommodation here. They don’t have to spend too much for sustenance and can easily switch from one hostel to other if they are not comfortable,” says one of the assistants working at Dheeraj Tyagi classes, a popular coaching centre in the area.