The Rau’s IAS Study Circle centre in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar, where three students died after its locked basement-turned-library was flooded, was issued a fire safety certificate just 18 days before the incident. The certificate and the incident points towards major corruption in the issue of fire safety certificates by the AAP government in Delhi, because the certificate was issued despite several violations of fire safety norms which have become apparent after the tragedy.
The certificate issued on 9 July 2024 says, Certified that the building of Coaching center Located at Ground, 1″, 2″d && 3″* floor Plot No. 11B, Bara Bazar Marg, Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi. in the building comprised of Basement (Storage) Stilt (Parking) Ground + 3 upper floor have complied with the fire prevention and fire safety requirements in accordance with Rule 33 of the Delhi Fire Service Rule, 2010 and verified by the team of officers concerned of this department on 01/07/2024 in the presence of Sh. Ashok Narang and found that the said building is fit for occupancy class “Educational Coaching Centre”.
Delhi: Rau's IAS Coaching Center had obtained permission from the Delhi Fire Department and the Municipal Corporation to use the basement strictly for parking or storage. However, it was being illegally operated as a library pic.twitter.com/triJbyuLdy
— IANS (@ians_india) July 28, 2024
The certificate claims that the basement is being used for storage, and that all fire prevention and fire safety requirements were fulfilled, which is obviously not true. The building violated several fire safety norms, but this was ignored and the NOC was issued by Delhi fire service.
After the incident, it has been revealed that the basement was being used as a library, and it had biometric access. The door can be opened only with fingerprints of authorised persons. When the building got flooded, the door got locked which could not unlocked as the biometric system didn’t work without power. The students were trapped in the flooded basement where the water level reached 12 feet, leading to the death of three students at the coaching centre.
As per fire safety norms, if the basement of a building is used for office and commercial purposes, there should be a sufficient number of exit ways and access ways. But in the Rau’s IAS coaching centre, there was only one access that to restricted by biometrics which didn’t work during power failure. This was a major violation of the norms.
When there is a biometric system to unlock a door, there should be backup power and an override measure so that the door can be opened in case of power failure or system failure. This was clearly not present in this case.
Moreover, the use of the basement as a library itself is a violation of norms, as the NOC mentions it is to be used for storage only.
The conditions for issuance of a fire safety certificate include-
- All the exits passage leading to stairs shall be kept free and clear from lock and keys.
- All the fire safety arrangements provided therein shall be maintained in good working condition at all times.
- Any loss of life or property due to non-functional safety measures shall be at the risk and responsibility of the management.
- The trained staff should be available around the clock.
Therefore, the presence of the biometric lock on the only door of the basement was a clear violation of norms.
Despite these facts, the fire safety certificate was issued earlier this month. This means that the basement with only one door was already being used as the library at that time. However the certificate mentions that the basement is used for storage.
The certificate also claimed that the coaching centre complied with all fire safety and prevention requirements, which is also obviously wrong. The basement was being used as a library without authorisation, there was no unlocked fire exit from the basement, which are major violations that led to the deaths.
यह उस कोचिंग को मिले फायर एनओसी की कॉपी है जिसे भ्रष्ट AAP सरकार ने जारी किया था। इस फायर एनओसी में इस हादसे के हत्यारे और जिम्मेदार मिल जायेंगे।
— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) July 28, 2024
आतिशी, दुर्गेश पाठक और शैली ओबेरॉय बताएं की कितना हिस्सा किसको मिला? pic.twitter.com/WEJkbtU74m
Delhi BJP has said that the killers and those responsible for the incident can be find in the fire NOC, saying that it was issued by corrupt AAP govt.
They also asked how much share minister Atishi, MLA Durgesh Pathak and mayor Shaili Oberoi received.
