Basement turned into library: How Delhi coaching centre violated safety norms

NEW DELHI, July 28 (IANS): A day after the tragic incident in the coaching centre of Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar, where the flooding of the basement resulted in the death of at least three UPSC aspirants, it has emerged that the institute flouted the key guidelines and norms, as outlined by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The basement, which was cleared for usage as a parking space or for storage of household goods, was turned into a library.

The Rau’s IAS Study Centre got this Completion/Occupancy certificate from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in August 2021. The certificate, a copy of which is with the IANS, shows that guidelines were clearly laid out for the three-storey building. Ground to the Second floor was allocated for office use while the Stilt (Ground) and basement were earmarked for car parking and household storage.

The coaching centre, in a blatant violation of norms, converted the basement into a library, thereby putting the lives of students at risk.

This happened despite knowing the fact that the area was prone to waterlogging.

Kishore, a student of the coaching institute, also told IANS that he got a complaint lodged against the IAS coaching centre for illegally running a library from the basement.

He said that the institute didn’t have NOC from fire and other concerned departments and this could lead to mishappening on any given day.

As heavy rains lashed the capital on Saturday, the area turned into a sinkhole because of waterlogging and flooding in the locality.

According to students, the library had a biometric system inside the library. Without finger verification, no student could either enter or exit the area. As the drainage water started to fill in the basement-turned-library, the biometric system malfunctioned and went off. The trapped students couldn’t come outside due to the breakdown of the power supply.

It was only after the uproar by students, after a long gap, that the suction pumps were brought in and started lifting water out of the basement.

Three civil service aspirants who died in the tragic mishap were identified as Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav (both 25 years old) and Navin Delvin (28).

Meanwhile, Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi has ordered a probe into the tragic demise of students and also called for a clampdown on all basements running illegal study centres.