The Delhi High Court has taken a firm stance on fire safety regulations in coaching centres after a recent fire incident at an institute in Mukherjee Nagar, a prominent hub for government job aspirants. The court issued a stern direction, ordering the closure of all coaching centres in the city that do not possess a valid no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire services department. Out of the 580 coaching centres surveyed in the national capital, only 67 had obtained NOCs from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), as reported by the Delhi Police.
A bench comprising Chief Justice S C Sharma and Justice Saurabh Banerjee emphasized the critical importance of fire safety and highlighted that all coaching centres must comply with statutory requirements under the Master Plan for Delhi (MPD), 2021, and other applicable regulations.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions concerning the operations of coaching centres in Mukherjee Nagar when it ordered the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to take prompt action within 30 days. The bench stressed that coaching centres failing to comply with the MPD provisions should be shut down without any alternative.
The status report submitted by the Delhi Police revealed a concerning lack of fire clearances among coaching centres. Disturbed by the revelation, the court called for the police, fire services department, and other relevant authorities to provide full support to the MCD in implementing the closure order within the specified time frame.
Furthermore, the MCD was urged to take action against structures that do not comply with the Master Plan, apart from coaching centres. The court sought comprehensive reports from the authorities on the measures taken to ensure fire safety in the affected areas.
The Delhi government's standing counsel informed the court that over 95% of coaching centres in the city lacked fire safety certificates despite being a mandatory requirement. A report from the DFS confirmed that 461 coaching centres surveyed lacked essential fire preventive and safety measures.
The court's stringent directive aims to prevent future fire incidents and protect the safety of students and staff in coaching centres across Delhi. The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on October 10.
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