Drishti IAS chief highlights ‘inconsistency’ in laws after coaching centre crackdown: ‘Problem not as simple’

Amid the Delhi civic body's crack down on coaching institutes' violating norms following the death of three IAS aspirants due to waterlogging in the basement library of Rau's IAS Study Circle, Drishti IAS head Vikas Divyakirti said the problem related to coaching institutes is not as simple as it appears on the surface. In a statement, Vikas Divyakirti also mentioned “contradictions” and “inconsistency” in the rules of the DDA, MCD and the Delhi Fire Department.

Drishti IAS head's statements have come after the Delhi authorities sealed the basements of many more coaching institutes, including one Drishti IAS, in a crackdown on illegally run establishments following the tragedy on Saturday.

Vikas Divyakirti said, “The anger that is being seen among the students regarding this accident is completely justified. It would be great if this anger gets a proper direction and the government implements definite guidelines for coaching institutes. We look forward to actively cooperating with the government in this regard.”

“This problem related to coaching institutes is not as simple as it appears on the surface. It has many aspects which are linked to the ambiguity and contradictions of the laws. There is inconsistency in the rules of DDA, MCD and Delhi Fire Department. Similarly, there is a lot of contradiction in the provisions of 'Delhi Masterplan-2021', 'National Building Code', 'Delhi Fire Rules' and ‘Unified Building By-Laws’,” he said.

He said that except for the ‘Delhi Masterplan-2021’, no document clearly mentions provisions for the coaching institutes. He said Team Drishti is “very cautious” about the safety of its students.

Several prominent coaching institutes like Dristi (The Vision) are among those facing action. The civic body also carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Old Rajindra Nagar to demolish structures that were covering the storm drains that led to flooding in the area, officials said on Monday, July 29. So far, 20 basements of coaching centres that were illegally being used either as libraries or for providing classes in both Rajendra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar have been sealed, the officials said.