Less than a kilometre from the Aliganj building where a fire killed 15 people on Monday, several coaching institutes continue to operate from cramped commercial spaces with limited evacuation options, an HT ground survey found on Tuesday.
The Sector D-Aliganj, Kapurthala and Purania belt is among Lucknow’s largest coaching hubs, drawing thousands of students preparing for competitive examinations such as UPSC, NEET, JEE, SSC and banking services. The area is also home to a sizable student population living in rented accommodations near coaching centres. A visit by HT to Kapurthala and Purania found multiple institutes operating from buildings with narrow staircases and no visible secondary exit route for students in case of emergency.
At one coaching institute in Kapurthala, classes were being conducted on multiple floors accessible through a single staircase. Another institute in Purania was functioning from a similarly congested structure where students would have to rely on the same entry route for evacuation during a fire or other emergency.
The findings come even as authorities have launched inspections across the city following Monday’s tragedy in Aliganj, where students and staff were trapped inside a coaching institute after a fire broke out in the building.
{{/usCountry}}The findings come even as authorities have launched inspections across the city following Monday’s tragedy in Aliganj, where students and staff were trapped inside a coaching institute after a fire broke out in the building.
{{/usCountry}}The issue is particularly significant in the Aliganj coaching belt, where hundreds of students spend several hours daily inside educational institutions operating from converted residential or mixed-use buildings.
HT had highlighted similar concerns last year during a survey of coaching institutes across Lucknow. The exercise had found several establishments operating without mandatory safety clearances and lacking basic fire-safety infrastructure.
Residents said the rapid growth of coaching centres in the area has transformed many residential pockets into bustling education hubs, often without corresponding upgrades in safety infrastructure.
“Thousands of students come here every day. After what happened in Aliganj, every coaching institute should be inspected,” said a resident of the area.