look news india
Three students preparing for the country's most prestigious civil services exam died tragically when the basement of Delhi's prestigious Rao Coaching Centre got flooded. This tragic incident in Old Rajendra Nagar shook the countrymen. The youth who had left their homes and comforts to go to Delhi to prepare for the exam with dreams of a bright future, lost their precious lives due to the cunningness of the profiteering coaching centre operator, the inefficiency and negligence of the government officials. Imagine what their families must be going through. The administrators of this system are so irresponsible and shameless that in their eyes, no one's life has any value. These are the conditions of coaching centres operating in the posh areas of the national capital, let alone other cities and towns.
This is not the first incident in Delhi due to waterlogging this year. Earlier on 22 July, a student preparing for UPSC died due to electric shock. Actually, after two to four days of noise and drama of action, the system again starts running on the old track. It can be said with hundred percent claim that the old script of action and strictness will be repeated in the Rao Coaching Center case as well. After the accident, the anger of the students has erupted. Students are pleading for justice from the government. Students are counting the systemic flaws. Students are shouting slogans 'Stop killing students'… Delhi Police has registered a case in this matter. This accident puts the government and coaching operators in the dock of serious questions.
This is not the first such incident when the lives of students have been played with in coaching centres in Delhi. On 15 June 2023, 61 people were burnt in a fire at a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar, the hub of coaching centres in Delhi. Investigation revealed that the fire started in the electric meter, which spread to the entire building in no time. At the time of the accident, about 200-250 students were present in the coaching centres. To escape the fire, the students broke the windows, climbed down with the help of ropes and took the help of stairs. Some students even jumped from the third floor to escape. Apart from this, on 25 January 2020, two roofs of a coaching centre collapsed in Bhajanpura area of Delhi. In this accident, 5 people including four students died while 13 people were injured.
Whether it is Delhi or any other city, the working style of the government machinery is more or less the same. After an accident, the administrative machinery wakes up from a deep sleep as if they have no idea about the irregularities happening in their area or city. When an accident happens, then it becomes clear how many flaws and loopholes there are in the system. And the benefits that filter through these flaws and loopholes are distributed from the bottom to the top. If we look at the previous incidents, in most of the cases the culprits get away scot-free or get minor punishment. The officials and employees of the concerned department are also responsible for the accident, but in such cases they wash their hands off and stand aside.
On 14th April 2024, 8 students were burnt in a fire in a hostel in Kota, a coaching city of Rajasthan. At the time of the incident, more than 60 students were present in the hostel. After the fire broke out, there was a stampede in the hostel. Meanwhile, a student jumped from the fourth floor to save his life. The investigation revealed the gross negligence of the hostel owner. The hostel owner had installed a large electric transformer inside, which caused a short circuit, which caused this accident.
There is a three-storey Scholars Forum Tower on Naval Kishore Road in Hazratganj, a posh area of Lucknow. Scholars Forum coaching runs on its first floor. Here students study to prepare for IIT and NEET. There are hostels on the second and third floors. A total of 28 girl students are living in 14 rooms in the hostel on the second floor. On the evening of 2 June 2024, the girls were in their rooms. At around six in the evening, there was an explosion in the AC of room number two on the third floor due to a short circuit. After this, the three-storey hostel caught fire. Smoke spread in all the rooms. There was screaming among about 28 girl students. The hostel workers broke the glass of a room and took the girls out. On receiving the information, fire brigade vehicles reached the spot. After about half an hour of effort, the fire was brought under control.
On 24 May 2024, 23 students died in a massive fire in a coaching centre running in Takshashila Complex in Surat, Gujarat. The fire started in a transformer placed near the stairs built for entering the building. As soon as the fire broke out, the students inside rushed down to get down. But due to the fire, they returned to the fourth floor, where there was a fibre shed and the fire spread more due to the rubber mat and tyres kept inside for the gym, due to which the children got caught in the fire. The government, shaken by the incident, ordered the closure of coaching centres running in commercial buildings across the state.
On 31 May 2024, a sudden fire broke out in the electricity meter board on the first floor of SCO No. 195, Sector 16, Panchkula, Haryana at around 12 noon. The fire caused a lot of smoke and this spread the smoke to the Hartron Institute on the second floor. At the time of the accident, about 25 to 30 students had come to Hartron Institute for computer training. Due to the spread of smoke, the students also started having problems breathing. After this, the local shopkeeper informed the fire department, after which the fire department vehicles reached the spot. With the help of the people, the fire brigade personnel installed a wooden ladder to reach the second floor and went up and started efforts to take out the trapped students.
These incidents expose the claims and promises of the government that the administration is conducting business and other activities within the ambit of law and order. It is also unfortunate that such accidents are investigated, but it is hardly known what action was taken on their basis. It seems that just like the accidents, the investigation reports related to them are also forgotten. The government should make strict rules for running coaching institutes. The local administration, municipal corporation, police, fire department and other related departments should ensure that the rules and regulations are followed with honesty and transparency instead of paperwork and filling the files in the construction and operation of commercial buildings. The question here is about the youth and students of the country. The question here is about the future of the country. The question here is about the parents of the students. Delhi is the capital of the country. Lakhs of students from all over the country come here to prepare with the dream of a better future. Such accidents in Delhi are a matter of great concern. The NDRF and the government are doing their work on this incident, but those three lives are not coming back.
