Delhi Coaching Centre Deaths: Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi said on Wednesday that the Delhi government is set to bring a law to regulate coaching centres in the national capital. This comes after three students were killed in the basement flooding of a coaching centre in the city's Old Rajinder Nagar area on Saturday.
Atishi said that the basements of 30 coaching centres have been sealed and 200 institutes have been served notices following the Rajinder Nagar incident. She also said that the Delhi government will constitute a committee comprising officials and students from coaching hubs to formulate regulations for coaching centres.
"Interim inquiry report has come and by MCD also a preliminary report has been submitted. 2 key things that came to light regarding the coaching centre incident, were, the drain which is the reason for the waterlogging in that area, it was encroached upon by all the coaching centres there because of which water was not going down the drain. The other thing is, the way coaching centres were running classes in the basement and libraries were set up, was 100% illegal...the Junior Engineer who was responsible for the drain there and to ensure there was no encroachment happening, that Junior Engineer was permanently terminated from MCD," the Delhi Minister said.
"The Assistant Engineer was suspended...magisterial report will come in 6 days and those who will be found responsible, strict action will be taken against them...the coaching centres which had encroached upon drains, those illegal encroachments have been bulldozed...the coaching centres that are running classes in the basement and set up libraries, strict action is being taken against them since last 3 days," she added.
The AAP leader said that a magisterial probe will be carried out to ascertain which officer ignored the complaint about the institute's illegal basement. Three IAS aspirants, Shreya Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Nevin Dalwin from Kerala died on Saturday night after the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle was inundated with floodwater amid heavy rains.
On Monday, the Delhi minister had flagged the delay in submission of magisterial inquiry report in connection with the incident in a note to Cheif Secretary Naresh Kumar. She had also directed him to submit the report by 10 pm.
Junior Engineer Responsible For Ensuring Drain Maintenance Suspended, Says Atishi
Atishi said that immediate action was taken, and the junior engineer, who was responsible for ensuring drain maintenance, no encroachment, no illegal activity, has been terminated from the MCD.
"There was an immediate action. The JE (Junior Engineer), who was responsible for ensuring drain maintenance, no encroachment, no illegal activity, has been terminated from the MCD. The AE (Assistant Engineer) has been suspended, he was responsible as a field officer to ensure proper functioning of drain. He was responsible for ensuring proper adherence to rules and regulations laid out in the building completion certificate. Action has been taken against these two officers. I want to assure the people of the country and Delhi that we will take action against any officer irrespective of rank who is found guilty in the inquiry. Magisterial inquiry report will come in 6 days, there will be a strict action," Atishi said.