Following a fire that killed 15 people at a coaching centre in Lucknow on Monday, authorities in Delhi and nearby areas have launched inspections of coaching institutes for fire safety compliance.
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood directed agencies including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority and Delhi Fire Services to inspect centres in areas such as Mukherjee Nagar, Rajendra Nagar and Katwaria Sarai. The MCD was asked to provide a list of 923 surveyed centres and submit daily reports.
Sood stated that violators would face strict action and that student safety is the top priority. The Directorate of Higher Education is also preparing a regulatory framework for coaching centres.
In Gautam Buddha Nagar, nine institutes were sealed and notices issued to twelve others after 66 inspections. In Ghaziabad, 56 centres were checked, with twelve found non-compliant and two sealed in Modinagar. Similar actions occurred in Noida sectors.