- By Nidhi Giri
- Tue, 30 Jul 2024 07:21 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delhi IAS Coaching Tragedy: Drishti IAS head Vikas Divyakirti on Monday pointed out that the rules of DDA, MCD and Delhi Fire Department are marked by various inconsistencies adding that his team is very cautious about the safety of its students and said the problem is "more complicated than it appears".
A former civil servant, an entrepreneur and a prominent voice in the education space, Vikas Divyakirti had come under fire for violating safety norms in one of its centres in Delhi.
Following the death of three UPSC aspirants in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar due to the flooding of the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in the same area, the Delhi Fire Department on Monday started the process of cancelling the no-objection certificate granted to the coaching institute. According to the news agency ANI, the fire department said that the NOC of the building will be cancelled. The basement where three students drowned was ‘illegally’ being used as a library.
The action prompted social media users to target Vikas Divyakirti. In a statement on his X handle, Vikas Divyakirti expressed condolences to the families of the three victims of tragedy.
"The anger among students is completely valid. It would be good if this anger is channelised in the right direction and the government lays down guidelines for coaching centres. We are ready to assist the government in this regard," he said.
He further said that the problem regarding coaching centres is more complicated than it appears. "There are many aspects that are linked by lack of clarity and conflict. There is inconsistency in the rules of DDA, MCD and Delhi Fire Department. There is also conflict in National Building Code, Delhi Fire Rules and Unified Building Bye-Laws," Vikas Divyakirti pointed out, hoping that the Home Ministry-appointed panel to probe the tragedy will address these concerns.
Stressing that it is extra cautious about its students' safety, he said Drishti IAS has on its management a Fire and Safety Officer who is an alumnus of National Fire Services College, has worked in this area for 14 years and conducts regular safety audits of the coaching centres.
The coaching chain welcomed the actions taken by MCD in the wake of the tragedy. "A permanent solution is that the government allocated three-four zones in Delhi for coaching centres. If the government readies classrooms, libraries and hostel, the problems of high fees and safety issues will be resolved," he said, adding that Drishti IAS will soon come up with a detailed analysis on this issue.
"We assure you that we will be more cautious about students' safety," Divyakirti added.
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