Coaching centre deaths: Probe points to lapses, makes recommendations
In his report dated July 29 submitted to minister Atishi, district magistrate G Sudhakar said the MCD’s building department failed to detect the misuse of the Coaching centre basement
District magistrate G Sudhakar, who probed into the drowning of three civil services aspirants in the basement library of Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching centre in Old Rajendra Nagar, has blamed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the institute, and the Fire Service department’s lapses for the deaths. He found the department concealed “the misuse of the basement” and issued a safety certificate despite a site inspection in July.
Sudhakar made seven recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such incidents including strict enforcement of basement rules, clearing the drainage system, and gradual shifting of the coaching institutes to planned areas in Rohini and Narela.
MCD lapses
In his report dated July 29 submitted to minister Atishi, Sudhakar said MCD’s building department failed to detect the misuse of the basement, which should have been sealed in 2023. It pointed to a lack of maintenance of a drain. The report said the architect, owners, and the builder of the coaching institute circumvented the process by applying online for the construction of a building for “office/business” use wherein a fire no objection certificate (NOC) is required for a height of over 15 metres. This was allegedly done to circumvent the condition of obtaining mandatory fire NOC, a prerequisite for a building sanction plan for “educational buildings” whose height is more than nine metres but less than 15 metres as in the instant case. The report, a copy of which HT has seen, called it a major lapse.
Sudhakar called the grant of the completion certificate for the building in August 2021 gross dereliction and negligence of duty on the part of the concerned junior engineer, and assistant engineer. and executive engineer (buildings). He blamed junior, assistant, and executive engineers of the building department responsible for that area between September 2021 and August 2023 for failure to “inspect and seal the basement which was being misused as a library” after the issue of completion-cum-occupancy certificate.
Fire department
Sudhakar said the fire department should not have granted the safety certificate in July 2024 “concealing the misuse of basement as a library in violation of the building by-laws provisions of the master plan.” He called this a serious lapse on the part of the fire services inspection team which visited the facility on July 1 and made a wrong recommendation for the issue of the safety certificate.
“Fire Department has not taken any action for referring the matter of misuse of basement as a Library to the MCD, which should have been clearly observed during the inspection by its officials on July 1 despite the fact that the same is being used as a Library from the day of occupancy and corroborated by the statements of the rescued students on the day of the incident,” the report said.
Preventing recurrence
Sudhakar asked the MCD, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Jal Board, and Public Works Department to remove encroachments, illegal and unauthorised constructions on the stormwater drains, sewage drains, and barrel drains on priority. He has called for revamping old and damaged drains, and their regular desilting including by deploying super sucker machines.
“The locations where water is overflowing from the drains are to be checked and desilted immediately by the concerned agencies. Identification of stretches of roads must be made where there is waterlogging due to road design or topography for taking corrective action for proper alignment of roads vis-à-vis the drains on priority by the road-owning agencies,” Sudhakar said. He called for strict enforcement of guidelines regarding the misuse of basements for educational purposes.