The minister stated that the Delhi government will introduce legislation to regulate coaching centres.
Delhi minister Atishi announced on Wednesday that basements of 30 coaching centres have been sealed to date, and notices have been issued to 200 more institutes that are illegally operating classes and libraries in their basements. The coaching centres with sealed basements include Drishti IAS, Vajiram, Sriram IAS, Sanskriti Academy, and IAS Gurukul, among others.
Updating on the government’s actions after the deaths of three civil services aspirants in a flooded coaching centre basement, Atishi stated that a junior engineer, responsible for maintaining drains, preventing encroachment, and stopping illegal activities, has been terminated from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
An assistant engineer, responsible for ensuring proper drain functioning and compliance with the building completion certificate rules and regulations, has been suspended, she added.
“Action has been taken against these two officers. I want to assure the people of Delhi and the country that we will take action against any officer, regardless of rank, who is found guilty in the inquiry. The magisterial inquiry report will be released in six days, and there will be strict action,” the minister stated during a press briefing.
As a long-term solution, Atishi announced that the Delhi government will introduce a law to regulate all coaching institutes in the national capital.
She added that the Delhi government will form a committee, including officials and students from coaching hubs, to develop regulations for these centres.
According to Atishi, the law will outline infrastructure requirements, teacher qualifications, and also regulate the fees of coaching institutes.
Three civil services aspirants died on July 27 when the basement of the Rau’s IAS Study Circle building in Old Rajinder Nagar, a central Delhi coaching hub, flooded due to heavy rain.
On Tuesday, students protesting after the tragedy began an indefinite hunger strike, demanding action in the case. Over 400 students have been participating in the protest for the past three days, amidst heavy police deployment.
