'Coaching has become virtually commerce': Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar after 3 IAS aspirants died in Delhi basement flooding
New Delhi/IBNS: Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar has said coaching has turned into a source of income after three students died at an IAS coaching centre, which was illegally operating at a basement in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar area.
Dhankhar, who is also the Rajya Sabha Chairman, said in the upper house of Parliament, "Coaching has become virtually commerce. Every time we read a newspaper, the front one or two pages are of their advertisements."
The Vice President further said that he "deems it appropriate to have a short duration discussion or a calling attention" in the Rajya Sabha, and will hold a meeting with the leaders of all parties in his chamber on this issue.
"Coaching has become virtually commerce. Every time we read a newspaper, the front one or two pages are of their advertisements."
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) July 29, 2024
Hon'ble Vice-President's remarks in the Upper House on UPSC aspirants' death due to drowning in a coaching centre in Delhi.
VP further said that he… pic.twitter.com/185Xm8VmAz
Seven people have been arrested after three students died by drowning in the flood.
Abhishek Gupta and Deshpal Singh, the owner and the coordinator of the IAS coaching centre respectively, are among the ones who have been arrested.
The Rau's IAS Study Circle centre had been using the basement as a library despite civic authorities stating clearly that it should be used for storage or parking.
The Rau's IAS Study Circle centre in Rajinder Nagar received a No-Objection Certificate from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in August 2021. This certificate specifies that the basement is intended for parking and household storage, reported NDTV.
The coaching centre obtained an NOC from the fire department earlier this month, which was also accessed by NDTV.
This document indicates that the building meets fire safety requirements and states that the basement should be used strictly according to building bye-laws.
The building bye-laws stipulate that measures must be in place to prevent surface water from entering the basement.
They also require sufficient exit and access points if the basement is used for office or commercial purposes.
In the case of the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre, however, there was only one entry/exit, the report said.
The incident, which resulted in the deaths of three civil service aspirants—Tania Soni and Shreya Yadav, both 25, and Navin Delvin, 28—occurred after heavy rainfall in Delhi flooded the basement.
Several students were in the library at the time.