As the uproar over the death of three civil service aspirants in a rain-induced flood at a coaching institute's basement in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar continues, a series of shocking revelations emerged on Sunday. The first being, a recently circulated copy of a complaint made to the Municipal Corporation a month ago by Kishore Kumar Kushwah who had expressed fears for the lives of students and staff at Rau's IAS coaching institute, which was allegedly operating classes in the basement without permission and a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
According to the complaint, Kushwah had requested authorities to take action against prominent UPSC institutes in the area that were conducting classes in illegal locations, endangering the lives of students.
"Hello, I am Kishore Singh Kushwah, a resident of Karol Bagh. Rau's IAS is running classrooms in the basement without permission and without NOC, located in Old Rajendra Nagar. Test classes are being conducted in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, which poses a threat to the lives of students and staff, and there is a possibility of a major accident. When the concerned institution was informed, they claimed that their money would go to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Commissioner. This is a big example of corruption in the MCD. I humbly request that strict action be taken against such big UPSC coaching institutes running classes in illegal places, putting lives at stake. Thank you," Kushwah wrote.
'Library was running illegally'
Further information critical information being revealed by the authorities related to the incident include that the basement of the coaching institute, where the accident occurred, was functioning illegally as a library. The Rau's IAS Study Circle had falsely indicated that the basement was being used for parking and storage, as per the building plan and the NOC from the fire department, the authorities said.
"In the building completion certificate of the institute, it is clearly stated that the basement can only be used for parking and storage. This means that the library was running illegally in the basement," an MCD official added.
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg too confirmed that the coaching institute was operating the library illegally in the basement, violating fire department norms.
"The building has a fire NOC, but in the NOC, they had shown the basement as a store room," Garg said. "The management of the institute was using the same room as a classroom or library, which is a violation of the NOC," he added.
Garg further informed that there was no option to de-water the basement. Locals complained that several other coaching institutions in the area also operate from basements.
Significantly, in the aftermath of the incident, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has issued directions to take strict action against coaching institutes found flouting building bye-laws and to ascertain if any MCD officer is responsible for the incident.
READ MORE | Delhi: Three students die in flooded basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle after heavy rainfall
READ MORE | UPSC aspirants' death: Delhi LG seeks detailed report by Tuesday, terms incident 'criminal neglect'
