Surat All Around, the Coaching Centre Death Trap - Times of India

The narrow winding stairs of a commercial building in Thane lead to a cramped basement where 70-odd students are scribbling something on their notebooks. A half-wall divides the space into two so that other classes can go on simultaneously. There is no fire alarm or an extinguisher here.

The rent is steep, so who will spend on these things? a 17-year-old office boy, who has been working in the place for a year, quietly tells a TOI team. A few metres away, another coaching centre is operating on the terrace of a four-storey building.

A tarpaulin sheet, which is highly inflammable, serves as a roof. Firefighters douse a fire that broke out in a coaching centre in Surat killing 22 studentsread captionFirefighters douse a fire that broke out in a coaching centre in Surat killing 22 students A blatant disregard of fire safety norms and blatant violation of building codes is what binds the 33,000-plus coaching centres that dot the lanes of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. But its not just institutes in this metropolitan swathe that could be sitting ducks in case of a fire.

There are Surat-like situations, where 20 young lives were lost in an inferno that engulfed a coaching school on Thursday, waiting to happen everywhere Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur.Risk FactorsCoaching class buildings are congested, have narrow exits, no refuge areaClasses run from basement of commercial buildings with no ventilationElectricity wiring in older buildings not replacedFire audits not done regularlyFire extinguishers, sprinklers not available in most casesLucknow could be worse. Some 2,000 coaching centres, whether they are in tony Hazratganj or crowded Aliganj, have not even bothered to get no objection certificates (NOCs) from the fire department.

In fact, coaching centres operating from commercial buildings near railway stations, in dingy basements without windows and with single entry and exit points are quite the norm, with both parents and students taking their chances daily. There is no fire alarm or an extinguisher here. The rent is steep, so who will spend on these things?

A 17-year-old office boy, who has been working in one of the coaching centres Away from Surat, in another part of Gujarat, at least two similar incidents were recorded in Ahmedabad this year. On March 8, a major fire broke out in a commercial complex housing several coaching centres on Anandnagar Road. Over 100 people had to be rescued.

On January 30, another tragedy was averted when a group of 27 students were left trapped after a mattress shop located on the ground floor caught fire. Coaching institutes flout fire safety norms in Lucknow (Photo: Manoj Chhabra)read captionCoaching institutes flout fire safety norms in Lucknow (Photo: Manoj Chhabra) Months after the incidents, a visit to coaching centres in Ahmedabad shows it is business as usual. At Mangaltirth complex in Dharnidhar area, a narrow pathway is the only entry and exit point for about 10 coaching centres.

Often fire safety is ignored by building owners to keep costs down. Shadow EducationOne out of every four students takes private tuition in IndiaIn some states, over 75% students opt for private tuition20% Indians pursuing degree courses,13% pursuing postgraduate courses avail of private tuition(Source: NSSO Survey)In Mumbai, for instance, many coaching centres have cropped up near railway stations since students prefer them due to easy connectivity. Rent is high so owners cut costs.

Only a few get fire safety audits done on a regular basis, says Sachin Karnavat, president of the Maharashtra Class Owners Association, adding that what works in their favour is that there is no law to specifically regulate coaching centres.The draft of the Maharashtra Private Coaching Classes Regulatory Bill, which is yet to be tabled, is silent on guidelines. It simply mentions that coaching classes need to comply with fire safety norms, with no specific details, Karnavat adds.

Aurangabad has a sizeable number of coaching classes that have little or no fire safety norms in place (Photo: Snehil Sakhare)read captionAurangabad has a sizeable number of coaching classes that have little or no fire safety norms in place (Photo: Snehil Sakhare) In Jaipur, where roughly 50,000 students are enrolled in coaching centres, several institutes are not even registered. Many run from private bungalows and several have glass walls which make them even more susceptible in case of fire.Go down south, and the story is no different.

Need for jobs fuels rush to coaching centresIn 2018, over half-a-million applications for 13,000 police vacancies in Rajasthan65,000 low-grade railway job vacancies saw 19 million aspirants1.66 million applications for 8,300 clerical jobs in State Bank of IndiaIn Hyderabad, Ameerpet, the hub of private coaching centres, has hundreds of technical and skill development institutes operating in crammed spaces, with little regard for fire safety norms. Officials estimate that at least 80% of the buildings do not meet minimum requirements.

Its the municipalitys responsibility to inspect them routinely and ensure there are proper escape routes, fire extinguishers, sprinklers and booster pumps, says regional fire officer V Papaiah. In Hyderabad, hundreds of technical skill development institutes operate in crammed spacesread captionIn Hyderabad, hundreds of technical skill development institutes operate in crammed spaces In several institutions in Chennai, classes are packed to double their capacity, but many parents are desperate to get their children admitted. A man who did not wish to be identified said, Im worried after what happened in Surat but what option do I have.

I send my daughter to the institute nearest to my house. Rent is high so owners cut costs. Only a few get fire safety audits done on a regular basis .

The draft of the Maharashtra Private Coaching Classes Regulatory Bill, which is yet to be tabled, is silent on guidelines. It simply mentions that coaching classes need to comply with fire safety norms, with no specific detailsSachin Karnavat, president of the Maharashtra Class Owners Association But in the wake of the Surat tragedy, authorities in several states are indeed mulling strict action. Notices are being issued to buildings flouting norms.

Coaching centre owner held over Surat blaze Coaching institutes in Kolkata have begun conducting fresh audits to ensure safety of students. They should. At a hospital eight years ago, more than 90 people were burnt to death.

Many say they havent forgotten images of patients already weak with illness trying to ward off a threat beyond anybodys control. 01:57Surat fire: Students trapped in blaze at tution centre jump from 2nd floor (Inputs from Yogita Rao in Mumbai, Somdatta Basu in Kolkata, Pathikrit Chakraborty in Lucknow, Aditi R in Chennai, Aditi Mallick in Hyderabad)