The fire department in Ghaziabad has issued notices to about 125 coaching centres out of 150 inspected till Friday for failing to comply with fire safety norms, an official said on Saturday.
A drive to inspect fire safety at coaching centres in the city was launched on June 23, a day after a devastating building fire, housing a coaching institute, in Lucknow’s Aliganj area, claimed the lives of 15 people, most of whom were students.
There are about 250 coaching centres in the city, and teams are physically inspecting them daily.
“Till Friday, we inspected about 150 coaching centres and issued notices to 125. The majority of centres had no firefighting equipment, lacked fire exits, wide exit gates, and had compartmentalised spaces, which could pose a risk during any fire emergency,” chief fire officer (CFO) Rahul Pal told HT.
The official said the coaching centres were located in areas like Raj Nagar, Indirapuram, Vaishali, and Sahibabad.
“Several coaching centres have temporarily shut down, while many others have removed their hoardings. This is posing difficulty in making inspections,” the CFO added.
{{/usCountry}}“Several coaching centres have temporarily shut down, while many others have removed their hoardings. This is posing difficulty in making inspections,” the CFO added.
{{/usCountry}}“The authority has sealed about 67 coaching centres so far. These were mostly operating from commercial buildings and lacked a fire NOC or proper exit gates. Action will also be taken up on the report sent to us by the fire department,” GDA’s secretary Vivek Mishra told HT.
The official said that the drive will continue and all coaching centres will be inspected, especially those operating in commercial areas.
A report is also shared with the Ghaziabad Development Authority for further action, the official added.