Coaching takes precedence over caution at city centres in Delhi

Clutching their books and carrying heavy bags on their shoulders, hundreds of students in coaching centre uniforms navigate the lanes of Kalu Sarai, a 14th-century village near the Indian Institute of Technology in south Delhi — India’s premier engineering institute where they aspire to be enrolled.

Kalu Sarai is just one of the many areas in Delhi dominated by coaching centres, and characterised by narrow bylanes which deter the entry of emergency vehicles, low-hanging electric cables, congested buildings, and exposed meter boxes inside these buildings.

The lack of safety at coaching centres was brought under the spotlight after a fire broke out at a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar on June 15, resulting in injuries to 61 students. After directions from the Delhi high court, the Delhi Police surveyed 53 coaching centres in Mukherjee Nagar and found that none of them had a “no objection certificate” from the fire department.

Following the survey, the Delhi high court directed MCD to shut down all coaching centres and other commercial activities allowed under mixed land use in Delhi, if they do not have fire clearance certificates and do not comply with norms laid down under the Delhi Master Plan 2021, on Tuesday.

Like in Kalu Sarai, many buildings that house coaching centres flout safety norms in North Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, West Delhi’s Tilak Nagar, and East Delhi Laxmi Nagar. While Kalu Sarai is known for its engineering coaching centres, Mukherjee Nagar is known for coaching for exams under the Union Public Service Commission, Laxmi Nagar for chartered accountancy classes.

AK Jain, former commissioner (planning), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), who also worked on the Delhi Master Plan 2021, said that the mushrooming of such units operating in the city was spurred by high-profit margins and lack of any enforcement.

“MPD 2021 tried to regulate this activity. Coaching centres were not allowed even on streets with mixed land use till 2006. The first time such units were permitted was in February 2007 but with specific conditions like an 18-metre-wide road, approved building plans, and a minimum 200 square metres plot, payment of conversions charges, among others,” Jain said.

While there has been zero enforcement of safety rules, the demand for such units located near institutes for higher education like the Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, IIT, etc., has kept rising even as the urban villages provided affordable housing for the students. “The financially lucrative business grew exponentially under a lack of regulation, said Jain and the recent high court order aims to correct this unfortunate mushrooming,” he added.

Until now, 897 notices were served to different coaching centres found operating in violation of MPD 2021. Four of these coaching centres have been sealed while 98 have vacated the premises, across Delhi, according to an MCD spokesperson.

Delhi Police officials told HT that the enforcement of the court order needs to be carried out by MCD and any assistance the civic body needs shall be provided.

Kalu Sarai: A civic mess

An urban village, Kalu Sarai is full of unplanned four to five-storey buildings housing coaching centers primarily catering to school students. CUET, CLAT, IIT JEE, NEET — the large billboards on the outer roads leading to the village promise a bright future but the civic mess inside — visible in the loose wires, exposed meters, narrow staircases, and lack of fire exits — tells a different story.

During a spot check on Wednesday, HT found that several coaching centres mentioned in the affidavit filed by the Delhi Fire Service continued to operate without safety clearance.

Hemant Mishra, the promoter of one of the institutes offering IIT-JEE coaching, which features on the list of institutes operating without a fire NOC, said they have kept fire extinguishers and there was no question of closing the unit.

Neeti Srivastava, a Class 11 student enrolled in an institute at Kalu Sarai, said there were 90 students in a batch. “Our institute has rented three buildings in the area where classes are held,” Srivastava said while adding she was unaware of the fire safety order.

Mukherjee Nagar: Business as usual

Situated close to DU’s north campus, Mukherjee Nagar is a hub for coaching centres that specialise in UPSC and government service examinations.

Despite being at the centre of the current controversy, the area bustled with activity as usual on Wednesday. Many coaching institutes have removed their banners, and some operated their inquiry offices from the area and have shut their institutes.

A worker in the complex located near the site of the fire in June said he only found out about the court order on Wednesday. “We are trying to get an NOC.” However, the classrooms had only one door each with little to no ventilation. “If the coaching institutes are forced to shut, it will affect the livelihood of a lot of people,” he added.

Students, however, were unsure of whether the institutes will continue conducting classes in person or go online. Shubham Sonkar, 25, originally from Bhopal said that his institute released a video regarding safety assuring that there were no issues.

“My parents were apprehensive after the fire. But after I sent them this video, they felt relieved,” said Sonkar.

Laxmi Nagar: No ventilation

Abutting arterial Vikas Marg, East Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar houses numerous coaching centres stacked on top of each other operating out of dilapidated buildings. The institutes prepare students for CA, CS, CUET, and banking examinations, among others.

Rakesh Jha, who operates a coaching centre, in the area said that multiple institutes often operate out of a single building .

“We schedule four to five classes per day throughout the week except on Sunday, with 40 to 50 students attending each class,” he said. The said building, however, was bounded by low-hanging exposed wires and narrow staircases, one even without a railing.

A student, Kushan, said that most buildings in the area have only one entrance and no emergency exit. “The rooms are divided to accommodate multiple classes, often leading to little or no ventilation,” said Kushan, who was preparing for his CA exam. Other students complained that the coaching centres do have fire extinguishers.

Tilak Nagar: Narrow stairways

A similar scene was visible at Tilak Nagar’s Ashok Nagar, a residential area characterised by coaching institutes. Several students flagged how their plight might be the same as the 61 students injured during the Mukherjee Nagar incident.

“The staircases are fairly narrow and in case of a fire, the exit may get blocked as the staircase is common to multiple institutes operating on the same floor. I checked with my institute and they assured us they have fire extinguishers,” said a student at one of these coaching centres, wishing not to be named.

Vivek Hindwan, a faculty member at one such institute in the area, said they accommodate only five to six students per classroom, adding that they had both an NOC and fire extinguishers.

“The staircase is common, but we have all the necessary arrangements in place,” said Hindwan.