Mayor cracks down on illegal institutes

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New Delhi, July 30

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has intensified its crackdown on illegal coaching centres operating in basements across the city. The fatal incident killing three students, attributed to basement flooding, has prompted urgent action from Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Shelly Oberoi.

ABVP calls for nationwide policy

ABVP national secretary Shivangi Kharwal stressed the importance of a nationwide policy to regulate coaching institutes and called for action against those violating rules. “The government learnt no lessons from the Mukherjee Nagar fire incident of 2023,”she said at a press conference on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Oberoi conducted an inspection in Preet Vihar and targeted a coaching centre, the Sanskriti Academy, which was found to be operating illegally in a basement. When the academy failed to produce the necessary permissions for running classes in the basement, MCD officials immediately sealed the facility. This action is part of a broader campaign that has already led to the closure of 19 illegal coaching centres since Sunday.

“There are many such coaching centres in Delhi that are operating illegally. These coaching centres have completely violated the building bylaws of MCD. Now strict action is going to be taken against them. Any coaching centre operating in violation of rules and building bylaws will not be spared. Also, strict action would be taken against those officials who are responsible for this.”

During her inspection, Oberoi pointed at the dangers of operating in basements, noting that, “If a coaching centre runs in the basement, it is mandatory to have entry and exit points from two sides.”

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor Kapoor placed the blame for the tragedy on broader infrastructural issues, asserting, “The main reason for the deaths of the students was the waterlogging of drains leading to the backflow of water into the basement. Instead of addressing the actual problem, the Mayor is diverting attention to illegal basements.”

He said that Mayor should refrain from interfering in the handling of illegal institutions and allow the MCD Commissioner to manage the situation directly.