LUCKNOW: Following a deadly fire at a commercial building housing an animation studio and a coaching centre in Lucknow's Aliganj that claimed 15 lives on Monday, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued directives to the respective district administrations across the state to launch a special drive against the unregistered coaching institutes.
The government has also directed the conduct of safety audits of all the registered centres, amid a renewed focus on student safety and regulatory compliance.
According to the state’s higher education minister, Yogendra Upadhyay, all district magistrates have been instructed to carry out a comprehensive survey of the coaching institutes being operated in their districts and to prepare a detailed list of such establishments.
According to the directions issued by the Higher Education Department, the coaching centres being run without registration under the Uttar Pradesh Coaching Regulation Act, 2002, would face action as per the provisions of the law.
The government has also ordered an inspection of registered coaching institutes to assess compliance with the safety and infrastructure norms.
The inspections will be conducted to ensure the safety of the building and evaluate fire-fighting arrangements, electrical safety and other essential facilities available for the students.
The minister said the state government was working towards a safe, organised and reliable educational environment for the students preparing for higher education and competitive examinations.
“The interests of students and parents remain the government’s priority, and all the coaching institutions must adhere to the prescribed standards,” he added.
Officials said the exercise will involve coordination among multiple departments to ensure effective implementation of the regulations.
A formal communication was issued by Special Secretary (Higher Education) Nidhi Srivastava directing the DMs to identify coaching institutes operating without registration and to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Act.
The letter also stated that regular inspections of the registered institutes will be conducted to verify students’ safety measures, basic infrastructure and administrative arrangements, as a part of the state’s effort to strengthen regulation of the rapidly expanding coaching sector.
Meanwhile, in compliance with the state government orders, over 60 establishments, a majority of them coaching centres, were sealed in Noida and Ghaziabad during the last two days after being found flouting fire safety norms.
Officials said that while two illegal coaching centres were shut in Noida, 56 establishments, ranging from play schools to dispensaries, were sealed in Ghaziabad for failing to comply with fire safety norms.
Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) officials said they had compiled a list of 206 such establishments that lack fire no-objection certificates (NOCs).
In Noida, while the Om Education coaching centre in Sector 149 was found operating without a registration or a fire safety certificate, another establishment in Sector 49 was found operating without a valid licence.
Both were sealed, and a notice to appear before the district inspector of schools (DIOS) with relevant records and documents within two days was issued.
“If the records are not submitted within the stipulated period or if the required statutory formalities are found to be incomplete, sealing action will be taken as per rules,” an official statement from Gautam Budh Nagar administration said.
Gautam Budh Nagar DIOS Chandra Shekhar said in a statement that the campaign against coaching institutes operating without valid registration or mandatory safety standards would continue in the district.
Notably, in Ghaziabad, the fire department had initiated a drive in May to check violations in residential high-rises after a major fire at the Gaur Green Avenue high-rise building in Indirapuram on April 29.
Ghaziabad officials said that sealing and enforcement were taken up in Raj Nagar, Raj Nagar District Centre, Rajendra Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Satyam Enclave, Ambedkar Road, among others, under the provisions of the UP Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973.
