Fire safety inspection: Non-compliant units asked to shut down

In a knee-jerk reaction after the Lucknow tragedy at a coaching institution earlier this week, the district administration conducted surprise inspections of several coaching institutions in city areas of Dhanbad on Wednesday. Acting on the directive of Dhanbad DC Aditya Ranjan, a team led by Dhanbad Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Lokesh Barange conducted a fire safety inspection of coaching institutions in the City Centre area and in the Seraidhela area on Wednesday.

“We have adopted a stern stance against coaching institutes that compromise student safety and disregard fire safety norms. Such surprise inspections of coaching institutes operating in various parts of the city would continue. Today, the inspections were conducted by the SDM,” said Aditya Ranjan.

Administrative Clampdown Seals Non-Compliant Coaching Hubs in Dhanbad

Serious lapses regarding safety regulations were discovered in both prominent and smaller institutes. Taking immediate action, the administration ordered the closure of several institutes with immediate effect until all necessary safety standards are fulfilled; written acknowledgments regarding these orders were obtained from the respective institute operators.

“The inspection revealed that many institutes lacked adequate fire-fighting arrangements (such as fire extinguishers) and proper emergency exit facilities,” said Lokesh Barange.

A senior administrative official who was part of the inspection said several coaching centres suffered from poor ventilation and were accommodating twice the number of students their capacity allowed — a situation that could prove extremely dangerous in an emergency.

“The SDM immediately ordered the evacuation of all students from the premises,” said the official.

Dangerous Overcrowding and Zero Fire Clearance Spark Direct Evacuation Orders

Institutes found to be non-compliant have been ordered to shut down until they meet all required standards. Classes are strictly prohibited until these institutes obtain a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the District Fire Department and fully comply with safety norms.

“Student safety is the administration’s top priority. No one will be permitted to endanger children’s lives for commercial gain. This campaign will continue in the future. All coaching centre operators must promptly ensure their safety arrangements comply with government guidelines; otherwise, legal action will be taken against them,” added Barange.

The inspection team comprised District Disaster Management Officer Sanjay Jha, Dhanbad CO Ram Pravesh Kumar, District Fire Officer Lakshman Prasad, and Dhanbad Municipal Corporation officials. Officials from local police stations and JBVNL units also took part in the inspection.

Significantly, 15 people, mostly students aged between 16 and 25 years, died in a tragic fire incident in the Aliganj area of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on Monday afternoon. The fire broke out at an animation coaching centre operating above a shop in the Puraniya area of Aliganj, triggering panic among students. Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation.

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