Surat fire aftermath: Delhi government orders inspection of coaching centres in high-rise buildings
Home Minister Satyendar Jain said the inspections would begin in Mukherjee Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, and other areas known for their coaching institutes.
The Delhi government has ordered the city’s fire department to inspect coaching centres operating from high-rise buildings, and to shutdown any facility that runs out of structures found to be violating fire safety rules, PTI reported. Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain’s order was issued after 22 people were killed in a fire at a coaching centre in the city of Surat in Gujarat last week.
The Aam Aadmi Party-led government directed the fire chief to “take strict action as per fire safety standards and guidelines to prevent recurrence” of incidents such as the Surat fire. “It is further directed that as a precautionary step, in the first phase, all such coaching centres operating in high-rise buildings (having more than four floors, excluding stilt floor) shall be inspected by the director (fire service),” read the order.
Jain said the inspections would start in localities such as Mukherjee Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, and other areas known for their coaching institutes. Candidates preparing for competitive exams move to Delhi to prepare for the tests at coaching centres.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s chief fire officer said his department had served notices to several guest houses, ANI reported. “We have identified areas where negligence has been seen,” the official added.
The fire in Surat reportedly engulfed the second floor of the Takshashila Complex in Sarthana. The building housed at least four coaching centres. A number of those killed were students.