The Surat fire tragedy last week that snuffed out 22 lives has prompted a fire safety push at coaching centres in the Capital. Even as the authorities in Surat shift the blame on each other, officials in Delhi have launched a drive to inspect and guarantee safety aspects in the coaching centres.
In its mission to ensure safety of students, the civic bodies have teamed up with the Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police. While the law enforcement agencies are meeting the owners of coaching centres and making them aware of the need to keep fire safety equipment at the ready, the civic officials have started surveying coaching centres under its jurisdiction.
Safety measures
Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said the DFS has initiated a drive to identify those flouting fire safety norms. “Four teams have been formed for inspection of coaching centres in Karol Bagh, Mukherjee Nagar, Laxmi Nagar and Lado Sarai and their adjoining areas. The teams will submit their report at the earliest,” said Mr. Garg.
Speaking to The Hindu , a senior police officer said all 15 district DCPs have been instructed to visit coaching centres and direct them to procure fire safety equipment.
“We have made a list of coaching centres and held meetings with owners over fire safety. They have assured us of arranging fire safety equipment within a week. Beat constables have been instructed to visit the coaching centres after a week to verify the status,” a DCP said.
The civic bodies have also undertaken different measures to check the safety of buildings. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation had started a survey of coaching institutes in its jurisdiction prior to the start of Lok Sabha elections based on an NHRC complaint regarding the safety of such centres, a senior official said. But the survey was conducted only in the Shahdara South zone, primarily in Laxmi Nagar. It is unclear whether the corporation plans to conduct more surveys.
The inspections dealt with checking building by-laws, whether they possess or had applied for appropriate trade licences and registrations. The official claimed that out of 37 institutions inspected in Laxmi Nagar, only 10 were found to have proper registration. The 27 violating institutions had applied for licences last week, the official added.
In the North corporation, following the fire at Hotel Arpit Palace in February which led to the death of 17 people, a committee to survey all buildings has been formed. Zonal officers have been asked to carry out a survey of buildings, including whether they are following building by-laws and other minor issues such as wiring, the Commissioner said. Besides this, the North body started a fire assessment drive of buildings in its jurisdiction on May 20, four days prior to the Surat tragedy.
In the South Delhi corporation, the Mayor has instructed the authorities to find out how many institutions require No Objection Certificate. The South body will undertake a survey, a spokesperson said
Authorities also said that they were looking forward to a software-based joint inspection and approval process to be finalised by the MHA which, according to sources, is currently in its advanced stage of development.
The process, at its core, has a unified software — similar to the ease of doing business single portal — but in this case for construction permits.
The initiative will bring the police, fire department and civic bodies on one single portal to give clearance based on an online application and ensure that applicants do not have to approach more than one office to procure permits. Each department will simultaneously conduct its document processing followed by a joint inspection of the premises.
Spot check
When The Hindu visited one of these coaching centres preparing students for Chartered Accountant examination in Laxmi Nagar, it was in a pathetic state with not enough space for students to sit. The building was in a narrow lane and the stairs were crammed for even three students to climb at a time.
“We have no other choice. Only two students can sit on a bench but the coaching owners squeeze in three. All three floors of the building have coaching classes and at a time around 400 students are in the building. We pay hefty fees and risk our lives for a better future,” said Anuradha, a student.
However, a supervisor at a coaching centre in Laxmi Nagar said that after the Surat tragedy, the parents who are visiting coaching centre to enrol their children have a separate query over fire safety. “We are trying to convince them and also getting fire safety equipment installed at the earliest to secure more admissions during the season,” said the supervisor.
Meanwhile, a fire officer said that most of the coaching centres do not fall under the category that required No Objection Certificate from the fire department. It is a commercial activity and it should be taken care by civic agencies who issue licence to these coaching centres for operation. The problem is that many of these coaching centres are run illegally in either a basement or a small room.
“Every high-rise taller than 15 metres must have an NOC from fire department but most of the coaching classes, hostels, and PG accommodations do not fall under the category,” said the officer.
However, students enrolled in coaching classes feel helpless and are not interested in doing activism as it might snap their dreams. “If we report fire safety issues at coaching centres, the authorities will shut the centres and we have to bear the brunt. The classes span from three to six months and no one wants to rake up the issue as we have paid the fee in advance,” said Kushal Gupta, a student at a coaching centre in Laxmi Nagar.
