Jharkhand: Dhanbad coaching centres inspected for fire safety; non-compliant units ordered shut

Dhanbad: Surprise fire-safety inspections were carried out at coaching centres in Jharkhand's Dhanbad, and non-compliant institutes were asked to suspend classes until they meet prescribed safety standards, officials said. The inspections were conducted in the City Centre and Seraidhela areas on Wednesday in the wake of a fire at a coaching institution in Lucknow earlier this week, in which 15 people, mostly students aged between 16 and 25, died.

"We have adopted a stern stance against coaching institutes that compromise student safety and disregard fire-safety norms. Surprise inspections of coaching institutes in different parts of the city will continue," Deputy Commissioner Aditya Ranjan said. Serious safety lapses were found at several large and small coaching centres, including inadequate firefighting equipment, absence of proper emergency exits, poor ventilation and overcrowding, officials said.

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Some institutes were found to be accommodating nearly twice their permitted capacity, they said, adding that such conditions could prove dangerous during an emergency. Centres found violating norms will not be allowed to resume classes until they obtain a no-objection certificate from the district fire department and comply fully with fire -safety requirements, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Lokesh Barange said.

"Student safety is the administration's top priority. No one will be allowed to endanger children's lives for commercial gain," he said, warning that legal action would be taken against operators failing to comply.