Coaching centre deaths: Vikas Divyakirti, educator and owner of Drishti IAS coaching centre, said that no coaching institute in Delhi has a fire NOC clearance meant for educational institutions. This comes after one of Drishti IAS’ coaching centres was sealed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for operating out of a basement. He also said that given another chance, they would not work from the basement anymore.
Speaking to ANI, Divyakirti said that when they asked for a certificate from the fire department, they asked to come through the MCD or the DDA. “The fire department has assured us that they will make a system through which we can take the certificate directly from them. Even if we get the certificate from the fire department, it is mentioned in it that since the building is commercial, the certificate is also for commercial purposes,” he said, adding that the MCD wants an educational certificate.
“To the best of my knowledge, not even one educational institution has an educational building certificate. Only colleges, schools, and universities get this. This happened because before 2020, according to the DDA, we were not in the educational category; we were in the commercial category. According to GST, coaching institutes still come in the commercial category," he said.
Speaking about the deaths of the three IAS aspirants who died due to drowning at Rau’s IAS Study Circle’s basement library, Divyakirti called it the result of “carelessness”. “It never came to our minds. I am saying it through your channel that in case we get permission in the future, we will not work in the basement,” he told ANI in an interview.
While a centre of Drishti IAS has been sealed, Divyakirti said that they don’t rent buildings that do not have fire exits. “I made a mistake in understanding; I apologise to the entire country and the entire society that a mistake was made and that the mistake should not be repeated in future," he said.
The coaching institute appointed a divisional head rank officer 1.5 years ago who looked only after the safety of the building. “In January 2023, we created a WhatsApp group, and I am one of its members. The work of that group is to check 16 points, whether the doors are open, the fire exit is clear, there is no obstruction on it, and the roof doors are open so that in case of an emergency, students can be taken out."
Divyakirti said that the kind of effort they make into building safety is unlikely to be found in other institutions.
Meanwhile, Drishti IAS on a social media post, condoled the deaths of the IAS aspirants Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni, and Nevin Dalwin, whose tragic deaths at the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajendra Nagar in Delhi has led to a flurry of student protests and political blame game.
“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," it said, adding that the anger of the students was valid and should be channeled in the right direction, leading the government to lay down guidelines for coaching centres. In the statement, the coaching centre highlighted the “ambiguity and contradiction of the laws” that has complicated matters regarding coaching centres.
“There is inconsistency in the rules of DDA, MCD and Delhi Fire Department. Similarly, There is a lot of contradiction in the provisions of 'Delhi Master Plan-2021', 'National Building Code', 'Delhi Fire Rules' and 'Unified Building By-Laws'. 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,” it said.