Vikas Divyakirit, a renowned teacher and owner of Drishti IAS, on Tuesday broke his silence on the recent deaths of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area and said that the issue of students' safety is "more complicated than it appears".
The statement from Divyakirti, a popular figure among the UPSC fraternity, comes a day after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sealed the basements of several coaching centres, including one operated by Drishti IAS, for allegedly violating safety norms.
In a social media post shared by Drishti IAS on its official X handle, Divyakirti extended his condolences to the families of the three victims of the basement tragedy — Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni, and Nevin Dalwin.
"We express our deepest condolences on the untimely and painful demise of the three students. We pay our humble tributes to the three aspirants and pray to God to give courage to their families to bear this irreparable loss," the post read.
Furthermore, Divyakirti also said that the anger among students was completely valid and called for properly-channelled efforts and the implementation of comprehensive guidelines for coaching institutes.
"The anger among students is completely valid. It would be good if this anger is channelised in the right direction and the government lays down guidelines for coaching centres. We are ready to assist the government in this regard," he said.
Divyakirti also pointed out that the problem regarding coaching centres is more complex than it appears. "This problem related to coaching institutes is not as simple as it appears on the surface. It has many aspects which are linked to the ambiguity and contradiction of the laws," Divyakirti wrote.
The educator also highlighted several inconsistencies and contradictions in the regulations from various bodies including the DDA, MCD, and the Delhi Fire Department.
"There is no provision for coaching institutes in any document except ‘Delhi Master Plan-2021’. Clear provisions have not been given. It is hoped that when the committee appointed by the Union Home Ministry submits its report in a month, most of the above mentioned points will be resolved in it," he said.
Emphasising their commitment to student safety, Divyakirti noted that Drishti IAS employs a Fire and Safety Officer and conducts regular safety audits of the coaching centres.
"At present, our management has a special post of ‘Fire and Safety Officer’ on which the officer working is a graduate from National Fire Service College (Nagpur) and has been working in big hospitals and malls for 14 years. In addition, an officer is assigned to each building to keep a check on the safety of 16 buildings daily," he asserted.
The educator also welcomed the extensive action taken by the Delhi Municipal Corporation in the last few days and said that Drishti IAS will soon come up with a detailed analysis in the matter.
"The permanent solution to this problem is that the government should select three-four areas in Delhi and designate them for coaching institutes. If the government itself prepares classrooms, libraries, hostels, then there will be no problem of high rent or security. of the provisions relating thereto," he said.
Later, speaking to news agency ANI, Vikas Divyakirti said that he was getting targetted, because, in such cases, everyone wants a scapegoat. "It makes things easier for the administration, they think they are safe, let that one person suffer, and even the society feels that they have got the accused," the educator said.
When asked about the delay in reacting to the incident, Vikas Divyakirti said it was because of his nature. "I am not that vocal about emotional issues. Three students met a painful death. For the last three days, whenever we talk at home, or I go to sleep, an image comes to my mind of what those children must have gone through when the water was filled inside," he said.
The Drishti IAS owner also said that he, along with a few students and owners of other institutes, met Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
"I met some students today. I had a meeting with Delhi LG. Some students had also come to that meeting and there were also owners of many institutes. There were also top officials of the Delhi government, from DDA, MCD, fire department, Chief Secretary," he said.
