Three students died due to flooding in the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagra area on early Sunday. The police are probing how the water reached the basement, which was being used as a library by the coaching institute. Initial investigation suggests that the basement, which is about eight feet below the ground, housed a library where several students were present on Saturday evening. According to sources, the gate of the coaching centre was closed following heavy rain. A steel shed is installed at the entrance of coaching centre to prevent water from entering the area. The police and fire department are probing two theories about how the basement was flooded. One theory suggests that as soon as the rainwater filled the road, the water pressure was so high that it broke the steel sheds and filled the basement, due to which the students got trapped. The police are also investigating whether the gate was opened to let a car out, which led the water to enter the basement. The owner and the coordinator of the coaching center were arrested on Sunday. They have been booked under charges of culpable homicide and negligence.
The victims have been identified as Tania Soni (25), Shreya Yadav (25), and Nevin Dalwin (28). Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi ordered action against all coaching centres in the city which are operating from the basement of buildings. She said such coaching centres are in violation of building bye-laws and are not as per norms. The Delhi Fire Department said the coaching centre was issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) stating that the basement was to be used for storage only. However, it was being used as a library where students would congregate to study. Previously, coaching institutes in Delhi were not required to obtain a fire NOC. However, after a fire incident at a coaching institute in Mukherjee Nagar last year, a court-ordered survey was conducted to check fire standards at all such institutes. Following this, coaching centres were included in the building bylaws, and obtaining a fire NOC became mandatory. Atul Garg, Director of the Delhi Fire Department, said this is why most coaching institutes in Old Rajinder Nagar lack a fire NOC. On the other hand, sources in the Delhi Municipal Corporation state that coaching centres are permitted to operate in Old Rajinder Nagar based on commercial building regulations. However, it is under investigation whether coaching centres are being run in the basement, as coaching is only allowed on the upper floors.
