Taking a major step after three UPSC aspirants died due to flooding of the basement at Rau’s IAS coaching institute in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sealed the basements of 13 Civil Services Institutes.
Crackdown on Building By-law Violations
The corporation’s crackdown against properties violating building bylaws has come in response to the harrowing incident that occurred on Saturday evening, triggering massive protests by students in the Old Rajendra Nagar area.
Official Response and Investigation
Tariq Thomas, Additional Commissioner MCD, said, “We have started the action since evening. Three basements (coaching centres running in the basement) have been closed and we will take further action in the coming days. The government has ordered an inquiry.”
Student Protests and Demands
Aishe Ghosh, former JNU president, told ANI, “We reached Old Rajendra Nagar soon after receiving the info of the incident. One of the students who has died is a PhD holder from JNU. This is a very shocking incident. Students come from far areas to study here and there is no facility available for them. This is a sad thing.”
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The students continued their protest in the early hours of Monday also, demanding justice and appropriate action from the government.
Students from different coaching centres came up with their five main demands. The protesting students demanded a strict action against each and every government authority responsible for this disaster and steps to stop further water logging and issues with electric wires in the area. They also demanded severe punishment for coaching centres and landowners operating libraries and coaching in basements, a rent regulation bill or code to control irrational rent and brokerage, an insurance cover in every coaching centre and library against any mishap, and a grievance redressal mechanism for students from coaching sites for any irregularities.
Investigation into Basement Usage
According to an official release from MCD, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is thoroughly investigating the matter to determine the cause of the flooding in the basement.
The basement was allowed for parking and storage but not as a library or reading hall, and the coaching center where the incident took place was operating in disregard of fire clearance conditions, the release from MCD said.
Legal Actions and Future Precautions
In light of this tragic incident, a plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court. The plea seeks a directive for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to implement immediate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. The court’s intervention aims to address and mitigate issues related to waterlogging and improve safety conditions.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Newsx staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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