Delhi coaching centre deaths: HC says 'tragedies bound to happen when...'

UPSC aspirants' deaths: Hearing a petition seeking a high-level probe, the HC bench said multi-storey buildings were being allowed to operate but there was no proper drainage

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday heard a plea seeking a high-level committee to investigate the recent deaths of three civil service aspirants in the basement of a flooded coaching centre in the Old Rajinder Nagar area of the national capital.

Hearing the plea, the HC pulled up authorities saying, “Multi-storey buildings were being allowed to operate but there was no proper drainage.” It added, “Tragedies are bound to happen when there is no collection of taxes due to a freebies culture. You want to have freebies culture, don’t want to collect taxes... this is bound to happen.”

The HC bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan also criticised that a “strange probe” is going on as the police have taken action against the passerby, who navigated his car through the flooded road, but not against MCD officials.

 

Further, the HC bench, comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said, authorities need to build infrastructure but are bankrupt and can’t even pay salaries.

Law to regulate coaching centres on cards

On the sidelins, Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi said on Wednesday that the Delhi government is set to bring a law to regulate coaching centres in the national capital.

She said the basements of 30 coaching centres have been sealed and 200 institutes have been served notices in the wake of the Rajinder Nagar incident.

The AAP leader added that a magisterial probe will be carried out to ascertain which officer ignored the complaint about the institute’s illegal basement.

During this conference, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said that the government will listen to the demands of the students, hold a meeting with them and bring in the Coaching Institute Regulation Act.

Report sought on third-party audit of drain desilting

Delhi’s chief secretary Naresh Kumar has directed all the departments concerned not to make payments to contractors engaged for the desilting of drains unless a third-party audit of such work is completed.

The chief secretary also said that the additional chief secretary (urban development) has been directed to provide a factual note along with information sought by Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj over third-party audit of desilting of drains by various agencies.

Earlier, Bharadwaj in a note to the chief secretary had sought an explanation on his claim of pending decisions related to drainage in the city.

UPSC aspirants meet MCD commissioner

A delegation of UPSC aspirants met MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar at the agency headquarters on Wednesday (July 31) amid protests over the death of three students.

The students discussed the ‘poor’ safety measures at several coaching centres that pose a threat to their lives, among other issues.

Student protestors said a coordination panel, comprising 15 members, has been formed to decide the protest’s future course of action and communicate with the authorities concerned. The three aspirants who died were – Shreya Yadav (25) of Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana, and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala.