NEW DELHI: With the closure of coaching institutes that do not have an objection certificate from the fire department, students in Delhi said they are worried about their studies and do not see online classes as a convenient mode for preparation.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the city authorities to close down all coaching centres operating without a NOC from the fire services department. Yateen, a 22-year-old SSC aspirant, said it will lead to a loss in education and that the virtual mode of classes is not as convenient as the physical ones.
“If the coaching institutes are shut, there will be a loss in the education of the students. We won’t be able to catch up in online classes much. Classes were called off for 10 days when the fire broke out in June. We have adapted to the online mode but we face a lack of concentration,” Yateen said.
A fire broke out at a coaching institute in Mukherjee Nagar in New Delhi on June 15. The high court observed that “fire safety is a must” and all coaching centres are under an obligation to comply with their statutory requirements under the Delhi Master Plan, 2021, and other applicable regulations. Recalling the fire at his coaching centre last month, Arjun Singh (an SSC aspirant) said that it is the responsibility of coaching institute management to take care of all these safety measures.
“I was there when the fire broke out. I saw how students came out of the building. Several students got injured. It is the responsibility of the coaching institute management to take care of all these safety measures. All institutes should get NOC from the fire department because we never know what the future has in store for us,” Singh said.
He further added that online classes are not sufficient and it is difficult to clarify doubts in virtual mode of education. The Delhi Police also informed the Delhi High Court that of the 583 coaching institutes running in the national capital, only 67 have NOC from the Delhi Fire Services.