UPSC aspirants death: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has shut down 13 coaching centers in Old Rajinder Nagar as part of a crackdown on unauthorised operations after the tragic deaths of three IAS aspirants, who drowned when the basement of their institute flooded due to heavy rains, officials reported.
According to a statement from the Delhi government issued late Sunday, a team from the civic body visited the central Delhi coaching area to take action against centers running from basements.
By late Sunday night, approximately 13 coaching centers had been sealed as a result of this operation.
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"These coaching centres were found to be operating in basements in violation of rules and they were sealed on the spot and notices were pasted," the MCD statement said.
The Rau's IAS Study Circle, where the flooding incident took place on Saturday, has been sealed by the police. The MCD had last year conducted a survey of such coaching centres after a massive fire broke out at an institute in Mukharjee Nagar, another coaching hub, in north Delhi.
"To begin with, the survey will be used to identify those flouting norms," the official said.
Three civil services aspirants -- two females and a male -- died after a library housed in the basement of Rau's IAS centre got inundated following heavy rains Saturday evening, and reportedly led to the failure of the single biometric entry and exit point.
"A gross criminal negligence is found on part of the owner of the institute in ensuring safety measures as the library in the basement was running illegally and had only one entry and exit point that was biometric-enabled and got locked due to the flooding," the MCD official said.
"The students could have escaped had the exit been free. The MCD only approves the building plan but if somebody misuses the basement for commercial activities after declaring it will be used for parking and storing purposes, what else can the agency do to ensure protection?" he said.
