look news india
After the tragic coaching center fire in Aliganj, capital Lucknow (in which 15 innocent lives were lost due to closed doors and poor ventilation), the Uttar Pradesh administration is completely shaken. Taking this horrific accident very seriously, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed to take immediate and strict action against illegal coaching institutes in the entire state and those that ignore safety standards. After the tough stance of CM Yogi, top officials and district administrations swung into action and started a big search and seal campaign (Crackdown) in the entire state.
Under this surprise raid and investigation campaign, till now a total of 84 coaching centers in different districts of Uttar Pradesh have been sealed for violating rules and not meeting fire safety standards.
On the instructions of CM Yogi, officers took to the streets, created a stir
After the Aliganj incident, clear orders were issued from the Chief Minister’s Office that any institution playing with the safety of students will not be spared. After this, joint teams of District Magistrates (DM), Police Captains and Fire Brigade took to the streets in all the big educational hub cities of the state including Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur. This sudden action of the administration has created a stir among the coaching operators. During the investigation, action is being taken to close all the centers which were found lacking emergency exit, ventilation and fire fighting equipment without giving any time.
Administration’s crackdown on big coaching institutes like ‘Physics Wala’ and ‘Khan Sir’
Under this nationwide campaign, the administration has taken direct action without caring about any influential or big name. Many reputed and well-known coaching brands of the country are also included in the sealed 84 institutes. According to the information received:
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Allen Coaching (Allen Career Institute): If standards were found to be violated, its centers have been locked.
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Physics Wallah: University centers of this big edtech platform have been sealed after security deficiencies were found.
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Khan Sir Coaching: Major action has also been taken against the coaching centers of Khan Sir, who is very popular among the youth, due to violation of rules.
This action has been seen most in dense coaching areas like Kakadev in Kanpur and Durgakund in Varanasi, where coachings were being run indiscriminately in narrow streets without basement clearance and fire NOC.
Some big names like ‘Aakash Institute’ still out of scope of action?
A big question mark has also arisen amidst this swift and seemingly impartial action of the Uttar Pradesh government and administration. According to ground reports and local sources, while on one hand big giants like ‘Ellen’ and ‘Physics Wala’ have been locked, on the other hand many other very big and influential names like ‘Aakash Institute’ and Aakash Coaching are still completely out of the scope of this sealing drive.
There are heated discussions whether these centers really meet all the standards or whether the pace of investigation against them has slowed down due to their influence. Students and parents say that if a security campaign is to be run, then no concession should be given to any institution considering it small or big, because the value of children’s lives is equal for everyone.
