In the wake up of devastating Surat coaching centre fire mishap which killed 22 students, the Ranchi district administration on Monday conducted raids at different coaching centres in order to ensure existing fire safety norms were followed by educational institutions. The raids were carried out by Ranchi Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) Garima Singh at Hariom Tower at Lalpur and other locations where number of coaching institutes run.
The SDO during her inspection assessed whether the coaching centres have obtained the necessary fire safety certificates and whether existing safety guidelines are being followed. Directions were issued to coaching centres to upgrade fire safety norms. The Ranchi district administration woke from slumber after twenty-two students, including 18 girls, of an art and craft coaching institute died in a massive blaze in the four-storeyed Takshashila Arcade in Sarthana area of Surat (Gujarat) on Friday.
The incident was shocking as video and pictures of building showing children jumping off from fourth floor to save their lives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani have expressed their grief and condolence in the shocking incident.
In State Capital there are mushrooming numbers of coaching institutes at Circular Road, Hinoo Chowk, Club Road and Main Road. But most of the coaching institutes lack proper infrastructure. There are several coaching institute which do not have proper fire fighting equipments.
The Hariom Tower at Circular road has numerous coaching institutes for engineering and medical entrance, but many of them lacks from proper infrastructure facilities. Deepti Raman, a medical aspirant taking coaching at Hariom Tower said, “The coaching institute which I studies has no fire fighting system. There coaching institute is crowded with students with lack of even sitting arrangements.” The medical aspirant further said, “The coaching institute main aim is to earn money. They are least interested in providing facilities to students.”
Echoing the views of Raman, another student Mayank Raj who prepares for engineering entrance test at a coaching institute at Circular road said, “The coaching institute in which I studies is at third floor at private building. The stairs are narrow if any incident occurs it will lead to stampede.”
The students are worried that none of the coaching institutes have fire fighting equipments with even small fire can turn up to major causality as there is no mechanism to check fire.