Delhi minister Atishi on Wednesday announced that the AAP government will introduce a law to regulate coaching centres in the capital following the tragic death of three civil service aspirants who drowned in the basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar.
Atishi, accompanied by Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi, claimed that 30 coaching centre basements have been sealed and 200 institutes have been served notices, with the government taking swift action in the wake of the incident at Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching institute.
The Delhi government will form a committee comprising officials and students to draft regulations for coaching centers, said Atishi.
The report of the magisterial inquiry into the Old Rajinder Nagar incident will be submitted within the next six days, with the assurance that strict action will be taken against any officials found responsible for the tragedy, which was caused by illegal building use, she added.
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Citing a preliminary report by the MCD, Atishi stated that the primary cause of the incident was the encroachment of the drainage area by coaching centers, which prevented the floodwater from receding. “The drain was encroached upon by all the coaching centres there because of which the water was not going down,” Atishi said.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the drainage system in the area was heavily clogged with silt. Additionally, the building’s basement was being used as a library, despite only having clearance from the authorities for use as storage.
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Atishi mentioned that the junior engineer responsible for preventing encroachments in the area has been “permanently terminated” by the MCD. The Assistant Engineer has also been suspended. She also noted that in the past three days, illegal encroachments by coaching centers have been bulldozed.
Three IAS aspirants—Shreya Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Nevin Dalwin from Kerala—died after the basement of the building housing the coaching institute was flooded following heavy rain on July 27.
So far, seven people have been arrested, including the owner and coordinator of the coaching institute. The Union Home Ministry has also formed a high-level committee, headed by an Additional Secretary, to investigate the incident.