A day after sudden flooding in the basement of an IAS coaching centre in Delhi killed three students, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sealed 13 coaching centres in the Old Rajinder Nagar area that were found violating rules.
A team from the civic body conducted searches at several coaching centres in the area on Sunday and sealed institutes that were running commercial activities in the basement, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said.
"After yesterday's tragic incident, MCD has started the process of sealing all the coaching centres in Rajinder Nagar that were violating rules in the basement! If necessary, this campaign will be run all over Delhi!," the Mayor wrote on X.
Institutes sealed for unauthorised use of basements:
IAS Gurukul
Chahal Academy
Plutus academy
Sai trading
IAS setu
Topper’s academy
Dainik samwad
Civil’s daily IAS
Career Power
99 notes
Vidya Guru
Guidance IAS
Eassy for IAS
Earlier today, Oberoi directed the MCD Commissioner to take "strict action" against all coaching centres across Delhi which are under the jurisdiction of the civic body and running commercial activities in basements, which are in violation of building bye-laws.
She also said that an immediate enquiry will be conducted to identify if any officers of MCD are responsible for the incident at Rau's IAS Study Circle, where the students lost their lives. "If any official is found guilty, the strongest possible action will be taken against them," she said in a statement earlier.
The Municipal Corporation has come under fire for not ensuring proper enforcement of building norms in the national capital after the incident. The ABVP activists staged a protest outside the Mayor's residence on Sunday, demanding she be held responsible for the students' deaths.
Last year, after a massive fire at an IAS coaching institute in Mukherjee Nagar, a survey of such coaching centres violating building rules was initiated. However, it is alleged that the civic body's action was stopped mid-way.
In May this year, the Delhi High Court had directed the MCD and the Delhi Development Authority to immediately close down coaching centres that are operating in violation of fire safety norms.
Three Civil Service aspirants--two females and a male--died after a library housed in the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle flooded during heavy rain on Saturday night. The initial probe found that neither the institute nor the road opposite the building had a proper drainage system. Additionally, the coaching centre did not have permission to run a library in the basement.
Source: India Today