New Delhi:

A month earlier than waterlogging within the basement of a constructing in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar left three civil service aspirants useless, a criticism had flagged dangers in utilizing the basement as a library or for holding courses.

Kishor Singh Kushwah, a civil service aspirant, says he had written to the Centre, the state authorities and the Municipal Company of Delhi about how Rau’s IAS Examine Circle was utilizing the basement as a library and endangering the lives of scholars and workers.

The MCD, it has emerged, had solely allowed use of the basement for storage and parking.

The criticism, addressed to Kumar Mahendra, government engineer of the constructing division in Karol Bagh zone, states that Rau’s IAS is utilizing the basement for courses with out a No-Objection Certificates from the authorities. “That is endangering the lives of scholars and workers and will result in an enormous accident,” it provides. Mr Kushwah additionally alleged corruption and demanded strict motion in opposition to UPSC teaching centres which might be violating security norms and placing college students’ lives in peril.

The complainant despatched two reminders, urging authorities to take motion. On July 15, he wrote: “Sir, it is essential and pressing challenge, take strict motion on it.” In one other reminder dated July 22, Mr Kushwah wrote: “Sir, please take motion, it is (an) challenge of pupil security.”

The web portal states that the matter is below course of. Earlier than the problem might be resolved, a downpour on Saturday night led to the flooding of the basement. A minimum of 20 college students, who had been within the library of the IAS teaching centre, had been trapped. Whereas a few of them might be rescued, Tania Soni and Shreya Yadav, each 25, and Navin Delvin, 28, died. The incident has sparked protests and outrage as individuals accuse civic authorities and the Aam Aadmi Social gathering authorities of negligence that value the scholars their lives.

Watch: “A criticism was filed in opposition to Rau Teaching Institute a month in the past relating to the unlawful operation of a library, however no motion was taken, If motion had been taken earlier, this incident wouldn’t have occurred, ” says Kishore (pupil) pic.twitter.com/2WYQb8kUEy

— IANS (@ians_india) July 28, 2024

Kishor Singh Kushwah stated he had complained in opposition to Rau’s IAS Examine Circle by the federal government’s public grievance portal. “If the administration acted in time, this tragedy may have been prevented,” he instructed IANS.

“All basement libraries in Rajinder Nagar are unlawful. They don’t have any FIR security clearance. And the staircases are 3 toes – 4 toes extensive, if there’s an emergency, so many college students can’t rush out simply,” he stated.

The civil service aspirant stated he blames the administration for the scholars’ demise. “If that they had taken strict motion, this may not have occurred. Officers of the administration take bribes and provides clearance to such teaching centres they usually by no means examine if the foundations are being adopted. MCD is 100 per cent accountable,” Mr Kushwah stated.

Beneath hearth, the MCD has now sealed 13 teaching centres in Outdated Rajinder Nagar space as a part of a crackdown on unlawful and harmful use of basements. These embrace IAS Gurukul, Chahal Academy, Plutus Academy, Sai Buying and selling, IAS Setu, Topper’s Academy, Dainik Samvad, Civils Each day IAS, Profession Energy, 99 Notes, Vidya Guru, Steering IAS, and Straightforward for IAS. “These teaching centres had been discovered to be working in basements in violation of guidelines they usually had been sealed on the spot and notices had been pasted,” an announcement stated.

Delhi Police have arrested the proprietor and coordinator of the IAS teaching centre after the basement tragedy. They face expenses of culpable murder not amounting to homicide and inflicting demise because of negligence. “A gross felony negligence is discovered on a part of the proprietor of the institute in guaranteeing security measures because the library within the basement was working illegally and had just one entry and exit level that was biometric-enabled and received locked as a result of flooding,” an MCD official instructed PTI.

Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi has ordered a probe into the incident to search out out if any MCD officer is concerned within the negligence that led to the tragedy. She has additionally stated all teaching centres which have violated the legislation would face motion.