Mayor assures coaching centres over sealing woes

New Delhi: Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Wednesday assured the representatives of Mukherjee Nagar's coaching institutes that a joint meeting would be held soon under chief minister Atishi to find a solution for sealed complexes.
"A meeting involving officials from Delhi Fire Service and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be organised, which will seek a solution that balances the concerns of coaching centres and complies with Delhi High Court's instructions regarding students' safety," she said at the meeting at Civic Centre, which was also attended by civic officials and AAP legislators Durgesh Pathak and Dilip Pandey.
The representatives raised concerns regarding the sealing of coaching centres operating on the ground and first floors. They referred to a high court order of Aug 16, 2023, which stated that the fire department's no-objection certificate was not required for coaching centres on the ground and first floors of educational buildings, provided the height of the building was below 9 metres.
However, MCD additional commissioner Jitender Yadav argued that following the death of 3 IAS aspirants in Rajendra Nagar in July, the court has become stringent about students' safety. "The court directed that coaching centres should not be allowed on mezzanine, ground and first floors unless all building bye-laws and fire safety norms are strictly followed," he pointed out.
Officials also said the joint task force, constituted on the court's directions, would soon submit its report. "This report will provide insights and recommendations regarding the current situation, which will be shared with the representatives of the coaching centres," said an official.