Delhi govt orders inspection of 923 coaching centres after Lucknow fire tragedy

Two days after a massive fire in a Lucknow building claimed 15 lives, the Delhi government on Wednesday ordered a special inspection drive covering 923 coaching centres across the national capital to check compliance with fire safety and building norms. The building, which caught on fire in Lucknow , housed an animation centre, among other establishments, and most of the victims who lost their lives were students.

Education Minister Ashish Sood directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to launch inspections at major coaching hubs, including Mukherjee Nagar, Rajender Nagar and Katwaria Sarai.

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The MCD will provide the agencies with details of 923 coaching centres surveyed across Delhi to facilitate coordinated action, said a statement. Sood also directed the Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Police, and other departments concerned to initiate action against institutions found violating prescribed safety standards or operating in contravention of applicable regulations.

The MCD has been asked to submit a daily action taken report to the minister's office on enforcement and compliance measures, according to the statement. The directions were issued during a high-level review meeting attended by officials from the Home Department, MCD, Urban Development Department, Delhi Fire Service, DDMA and the Directorate of Higher Education, it stated.

The minister also reviewed safety standards, infrastructure and the existing regulatory mechanism governing coaching institutes. He informed that the Directorate of Higher Education is preparing a regulatory framework for coaching centres to address regulatory gaps, strengthen accountability, improve safety standards and establish a transparent oversight mechanism. Sood asserted that student safety and welfare were the government's priority and warned that institutions found compromising safety through negligence or non-compliance would face strict action. "The safety and welfare of students is our highest priority. Any negligence affecting student safety will not be tolerated. All coaching institutes must strictly comply with safety norms and guidelines issued by the Government and the Courts from time to time," the minister said.