New Delhi: After the Supreme Court came down hard on authorities and said coaching centres had become “death chambers”, UPSC aspirants and the co-founder of an institute have emphasised that there’s more than one stakeholder involved, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), other government agencies and landlords all sharing responsibility for such conditions and the students’ well-being.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the deaths of three civil services aspirants who drowned in the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar on 27 July, a bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said Monday that the tragedy was an eye-opener for all.
“These places (coaching centres) have become death chambers. Coaching institutes can operate online unless there is full compliance with safety norms and basic standards for a dignified life. Coaching centres are playing with the lives of aspirants who come from different parts of the country,” the bench said.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government.
In the wake of the deaths and the subsequent uproar over safety issues at coaching centres — it soon came to light that the basement where the students drowned was used as a library despite not having a clearance for this — coaching institutes have now begun applying for clearances from the MCD and other relevant government agencies.
“The whole issue has become a nightmare for us. Even after providing every valid document, a sword is hanging over our heads,” said one senior member of a major coaching institute in the city on the condition of anonymity. ” With the Supreme Court’s observations, things will get harder. More NOCs and a trail of bribes to different officers in different departments.”
Meanwhile, students who have been protesting in Old Rajinder Nagar reacted positively to the court’s observations, but emphasised that action should also be taken against the MCD.
“The Supreme Court’s order is welcome. Coaching institutes must follow safety norms, but it is not just limited to the coaching institutes. Coaching centres are running libraries in the basements, yet the MCD was unable to close them before this incident. There are many who play a role in ensuring a safe environment,” said Kamal Kumar, a student who lives in Old Rajinder Nagar.
“Such remarks from the Supreme Court are indeed helpful but nobody is talking about our demands. The protest is still going on. The Supreme Court should ask the government to give a decent amount of compensation and take strict action against MCD officers,” said Nitish Yadav, a UPSC aspirant.
Mohit Jindal, co-founder of the coaching institute StudyIQ, echoed these sentiments.
“This is a welcome statement, but if their intervention can improve the system, then this is really good. However, there are more stakeholders in this matter. All the blame for some incidents shouldn’t fall on just one stakeholder, whether it’s the MCD or coaching institutes. It’s a matter of students’ well-being, and this is a collective responsibility of government agencies and coaching centres. I believe that coaching institutes will cooperate with this,” he said.
On the other hand, Rupa Sahu, a student who lives in Old Rajinder Nagar, said: “It won’t make any difference. The court had said something but it did not instruct the agencies to take any action against MCD or the related authorities. It has been more than 10 days but they have been arresting irrelevant people, like the SUV driver. There are many problems students face related to brokers, rent and landlords which need to be addressed. The Supreme Court’s comment won’t do anything. They will all conduct classes in those buildings.”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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