Officials turn up the heat; shut four coaching centres in Laxmi Nagar

Officials are cracking down on coaching centres that do not adhere to fire safety norms after 22 students died in a fire that broke out at a coaching centre in Surat, Gujarat, on 23 May.

The East Municipal Corporation of Delhi (EDMC) on Friday sealed four illegally run coaching centres on Patparganj Road in Laxmi Nagar. Officials said that the operators had not paid conversion and parking charges.

Civic agencies across the Capital have ordered a fire-safety survey of all coaching centres. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

Six coaching centres in the area have been shut by the EDMC in the last three weeks.

Officials are cracking down on coaching centres that do not adhere to fire safety norms after 22 students died in a fire that broke out at a coaching centre in Surat, Gujarat, on 23 May.

Civic agencies across the Capital have ordered a fire-safety survey of all coaching centres.

EDMC officials, however, said Friday’s operation had nothing to do with the Surat incident.

They said that the four centres were sealed because they had not paid conversion and parking charges for running coaching centres on the second and third floors.

“As per the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD 2021), such centres can operate on roads that are nine metres to 18 metres wide, after paying conversion and parking charges,” an official said.