UPSC ‘Coaching Mafia’ In Mukherjee Nagar
The best example of everyone’s complicity in the game of corruption is the ongoing coaching in Mukherjee Nagar. The coaching centers in Delhi are largely unregulated due to the absence of dedicated guidelines for coaching centers. In Mukherjee Nagar, major coaching entities like Sanskriti Coaching Center are accused of endangering students’ lives and exploiting their parents’ finances. Allegedly, these influential figures are deceiving thousands of students with promises of IAS success, profiting immensely. The area is saturated with promotional tactics, from online advertisements to banner posters, amplifying concerns over unethical practices and financial exploitation within the coaching industry.
Alarming reports suggest that approximately 50,000 lives are at risk due to alleged collusion between officials and coaching mafia elements. This dangerous partnership poses a significant threat to the safety and well-being of individuals, highlighting the urgent need for intervention and investigation to ensure students security.
Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi is known as a coaching hub for government exams. Despite Supreme Court guidelines on PG and coaching centers, locals claim illegal operations persist with new admissions advertised openly. During High Court hearings, authorities seal small institutes under the guise of food supply inspections. The issue often stalls afterward. For instance, the Drishti Coaching Center in Nehru Vihar is considered illegal. Tragic incidents, like the fire at Sanskriti Coaching Center, have raised concerns. Locals fear for students’ safety, citing collusion between officials, police, and coaching center operators.
In 2020, the DoE observed that despite the coaching centers running as the parallel education system in Delhi, they were out of the ambit of regularization and often operated without statutory compliance.
Legal Fault:
- Commercial buildings are illegally used for running coaching Classrooms without any permission. (No NOC acquired)
- No fire safety audit by the fire department in years.
- No NOC from the fire department and no system of fire fighting arrangements.
- No safety evacuation plan or measures by coaching centers.
- Illegal hoardings/boards/banners/ Acs installed by blocking windows and vents.
- Evacuation from the roof was blocked because of a locked gate. No water in rooftop water tanks.
- Various coaching classrooms are running in the basements in the nearby areas which is illegal.
- No proper medical/financial assistance to injured students.
Suo Moto Cognizance by Delhi High Court [June 16, 2023]- The vacation bench of Hon’ble Justice Jasmeet Singh and Justice Vikas Mahajan directed the Delhi Fire Services (“DFS”) to conduct a fire audit and ascertain whether the requisite Fire NOC/Fire Safety Certificate was obtained by the coaching. The bench directed the DFS to audit the fire certificate and building sanctions of all the coaching institutes in Delhi. The bench issued a notice to the Delhi government, the DFS, the MCD, and the Delhi Police to take appropriate steps and file their responses within 2 weeks.
Delhi Police [June 20, 2023]- The Delhi Police, after recording statements of 36 people said that the Coaching class had failed to give the student training on a fire exit plan on the premises.
DFS [June 24, 2023]- The fire audit conducted by the DFS in 130 coaching institutes across Delhi revealed that none of them were found to be satisfactory as per the fire safety standards and norms. The lack of emergency exits, fire alarms, sensors, fire-fighting water tanks, and overcrowding of classrooms was found in the audit. The audit was conducted in the coaching centers of Mukherjee Nagar, Kalu Sarai, Janakpuri, and Laxmi Nagar.
Show Cause Notice issued by MCD [June 28, 2023]- The MCD issued a show cause notice for the violation of Provisions of the Master Plan for Delhi 2021 (“MPD-2021”). The property used for the coaching center was originally allotted for Office purposes as per the standard building plan/sanctioned building plan. The mixed-use of the allotted premises was found to violate the MPD-2021. This violation was liable to a penalty under provision 9.2 of the Gazette notification dated 28.06.2018 issued by the DDA. The MCD directed compliance with the building sanctions and deposit of the penalty within 48 hours to avoid sealing of the premises under section 345-A r/w 347 of the DMC Act, 1957.
Similar illegalities and violations of the MPD-2021 led to multiple coaching centers in Mukherjee Nagar being sealed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in November 2017 and June 2019.
