Coaching centre deaths: AAP govt, LG announce steps to regulate coaching centres as student protests continue

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI) After shifting the blame on each other for days over the death of three IAS aspirants at a coaching centre, the AAP government on Wednesday promised a new law to regulate these establishments and Lt Governor VK Saxena in a parallel move ordered setting up of a panel to frame guidelines for them, setting the stage for another round of tussle.

The Delhi High Court pulled up authorities over the incident and said such tragedies are bound to happen when there is no collection of taxes due to a "freebies culture".

This is infrastructure failure in the city at a large scale, the court said and directed authorities to remove all encroachments on drains in the Rajinder Nagar area by Friday.

Education Minister Atishi met protesting students near Rau's IAS Study Circle - where three IAS aspirants drowned in its basement on Saturday evening - and assured them of strict action against those responsible for the tragedy.

"The report of the magisterial probe will come in six days and strict action will follow. Whether senior or junior officials, nobody will be spared, she said.

Meanwhile, the student protest against the death of three IAS aspirants entered the fourth day, even as police removed some "outsiders" from the protest site in Rajinder Nagar.

A delegation of students met AAP ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai at the Delhi Secretariat and highlighted the poor safety measures at several coaching centres in the national capital, among other issues.

Earlier in the day, Atishi in a press conference announced that the Delhi government will bring in a law to regulate coaching centres in the national capital.

The minister said the government will constitute a committee comprising government officials and students from different coaching hubs to frame the law.

"Just like private schools and private hospitals/nursing homes are regulated by law with established guidelines for infrastructure, have regular inspections, and are given recognition by the government, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government will introduce a law to regulate all coaching institutes in the city, whether they are preparing students for IAS, IIT, NEET, CUET, NDA, or any other exam," Atishi said.

The minister said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in the last three days, has cracked down on coaching centres using basements in violation of laws but long-term solutions are needed to resolve the issue.

Hours after the minister's announcement, Lt Governor VK Saxena directed that a chief secretary-led panel be formed to frame guidelines to regulate such establishments.

The committee will have five to six representatives of coaching institutes, students and officials from the departments concerned.

Raj Niwas officials said the panel will comprehensively address all issues related to regulation, exorbitant rentals, fire clearances, desilting of drains and other immediate needs of students.

The AAP-led Delhi government and MCD have drawn flak for the incident but have blamed bureaucrats and the LG for the situation.

During a hearing, the Delhi High Court pulled up Delhi Police for its "strange probe" after it did not take action against MCD officials but arrested an SUV driver who was accused of driving his vehicle through the flooded street, causing the water to breach the gates of the three-storey building and inundate the basement, "What is Delhi Police doing? Have they lost it?" a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela remarked.

"People are losing their lives. You must realise human lives are costly and they should not be lost just because of someone's negligence or time taken for arriving at a good decision," it said.

The strong words of the high court, however, did not come to the rescue of a jailed SUV driver whose bail plea was dismissed by a magisterial court later in the day.

Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar rejected the bail plea of five accused, including SUV driver Manuj Kathuria, who was described as a "masti-khor" (fun lover) by the Delhi Police in their vehement opposition to his bail plea.

The high court hinted at asking a central agency, like CVC, CBI or Lokpal, to probe the incident and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, deputy commissioner of police concerned and the investigating officer of the case to appear before it on Friday.

Meanwhile, MCD Additional Commissioner Tariq Thomas accepted the civic body's failure in the incident and said there are serious structural issues that need to be addressed.

Interacting with the protesting students at UPSC coaching hub Rajinder Nagar here, Thomas said there can be no excuses for the incident and the agency should have done its duty better.

According to police, they have recorded the statements of 16 employees of Rau's IAS Study Circle, including teachers, managers, security and cleaning staff in the last two days.

In his report to Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar said that the problem of encroachment of drains in the city is so "widespread" that the problem cannot be controlled without a proper legislative framework.

The chief secretary in his note to Bharadwaj, who is also Irrigation and Flood Control minister, said that a file on the management of main drains was pending with him since August 2023.

Citing an MCD report on the Rajinder Nagar incident on Saturday evening, Kumar said, "The photos of the site of the unfortunate incident show how the stormwater drainage system at that place was encroached on by the owner/occupier of the building." He directed all the departments concerned not to make payments to contractors engaged in the desilting of drains unless a third-party audit of such work is completed.

A group of civil services aspirants protesting at Old Rajinder Nagar wrote to President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday, requesting an independent inquiry into the death of three students in a flooded basement of a coaching centre building.

In their letter, the students listed seven demands, including an independent investigation and support for the families affected. PTI SLB VIT ALK SJJ SKV BUN RT