New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) A day after renowned coaching institute Drishti IAS’s basement was sealed over violation of laws, its owner Vikas Divyakirti said Tuesday the anger among students over the Rajendra Nagar flooding incident was justified and demanded that authorities implement guidelines for coaching centres.
Claiming that “ambiguity and contradictions” exist in laws set by different agencies for coaching institutes, he also said, “This problem related to coaching institutes is not as simple as it appears.” In his first reaction since the MCD action against the Mukherjee Nagar centre of Drishti IAS and a large number of students turning up outside his house on Monday night demanding he speak to them, Divyakirti apologised for the delay in issuing a statement and said he was cooperating with the government.
Posting his statement in Hindi on ‘X’, Divyakirti wrote, “We are sorry that we delayed in presenting our side. Actually, we did not want to say anything on the basis of incomplete information. We sincerely apologise for this delay.” The Municipal Corporate of Delhi (MCD) has sealed several centres in UPSC coaching hubs Mukherjee Nagar, Rajendra Nagar and Preet Vihar for allegedly running commercial activities in their basements.
The action comes in the wake of the death of three civil services aspirants on Saturday evening at the Old Rajinder Nagar centre of Rau’s IAS Study Circle after water from a flooded drain gushed into its basement where a library was set up.
Offering condolences to the families of the three deceased, Divyakirti’s statement read, “We express our deepest condolences on the unfortunate incident of Saturday in which 3 students Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni and Nivin Dalvin died untimely and tragically.” He alleged there were inconsistencies in the rules framed by the DDA, MCD and the Delhi Fire Department.
“This problem related to coaching institutes is not as simple as it appears. It has many aspects that are linked to the ambiguity and contradiction of the laws. There is inconsistency in the rules of the DDA, MCD and Delhi Fire Department.
“Similarly, There is a lot of contradiction in the provisions of the ‘Delhi Master Plan-2021’, ‘National Building Code’, ‘Delhi Fire Rules’ and the ‘Unified Building By-Laws’. There is no provision for coaching institutes in any document except ‘Delhi Master Plan-2021’,” Divyakirti said.
“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 added.
Divyakirti also assured that measures for the safety of students were in place at his coaching institute.
“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. They regularly conduct safety audits of each building.
“In addition, an officer is assigned to each building to keep a check on the safety of 16 buildings daily. The buildings in which our classrooms are located have at least two exits so that children can get out safely in case of any emergency,” the statement read.
He also welcomed the MCD action against illegally run establishments and suggested that “the government should select three to four areas in Delhi and designate them for coaching institutes”.
“If the government itself prepares classrooms, libraries and hostels, there will be no problem of high rent or security of the provisions,” Divyakirti added. PTI SJJ IJT
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