LIVE | Coaching centre deaths: Delhi police form multiple probe teams
'Criminal neglect, failure of basic maintenance': Delhi LG on coaching centre deaths
Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena on Sunday directed the divisional commissioner to submit a report on the incident at a coaching centre in Rajinder Nagar where three civil service aspirants were killed due to rain-induced flooding in the basement.
The LG said the incident points to "criminal neglect" and lack of "basic maintenance" by concerned agencies. Saxena said he is deeply anguished by the incident of death of the civil services aspirants. "That this should happen in the Capital of India is most unfortunate & unacceptable," he said in a post on X.
"Reportedly 7 other citizens have died due to electrocution in the past few days. My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. You are in my thoughts and prayers," he said.
Saxena said he has been keeping a close watch over the situation and has monitored the rescue operations by Delhi Police and the fire department personally. "These incidents clearly points towards criminal neglect & failure of basic maintenance & administration by concerned agencies & departments," he said in another post.
"Drainage in the city and related infrastructure, as also required efforts and endeavours to address these have apparently collapsed, Saxena said. He added that the incident is indicative of the "larger malaise of misgovernance that Delhi has been subjected to during the last decade or so".
The role of coaching institutions and landlords in not ensuring basic safety of students, who pay hefty fees and rents, away from their homes needs to be looked into, the LG said. "What has been happening is unpardonable and such issues can no more be glossed over. I have asked the Divisional Commissioner to submit a report, covering every aspect of the tragic incident by Tuesday," he added.
Coaching centre falsely showed basement as store room in documents
The basement of the coaching Institute in Old Rajendra Nagar where three civil services aspirants died by rain-induced flooding was functioning illegally as a library, officials said on Sunday.
Rao's IAS Study Circle, the coaching institute, had falsely shown that the basement was being used for parking and as a store room, as per the building plan and No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the fire department. The three-storey coaching centre had its building plan approved by the concerned MCD department in 2021.
"In the building completion certificate of the institute, it is clearly written that it can only be used for parking and storage in the basement. It means that the library was running illegally in the basement," an MCD official said.
The three civil services aspirants died on Saturday after the basement of a building, which was part of a coaching centre, was flooded following heavy rain in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area.
MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar, after taking charge in June, has suspended several officers from the corporation's building department. Last week, three officers of the department were suspended at the zone where the coaching centre is located. There was immediate reaction from the commissioner on the reason behind the suspension.
The coaching institute made a similar disclosure to the fire department about the basement, thus also violating its norms, according to Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg.
Garg said, "The building has fire NOC, but in the NOC they had shown the basement as a store room. The management of the institute was using the same room as a classroom or library which is a violation of the NOC," Garg told PTI.
Locals complained that there are several other coaching institutions in the area which operate from the basement.
Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has issued directions to take strict action coaching institutes found flouting the building bye-laws and ascertain if any MCD officer is responsible for the incident.