Patna: Following the tragic deaths of three civil service aspirants in Delhi, the Patna district administration has launched a comprehensive two-week survey of coaching centres, starting on Tuesday under the directive of district magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh.
On the first day, 61 centres were inspected, with only 49.1% (30) found to be registered.The inspection revealed that several institutes are located in high-rise buildings that lack basic safety measures. Common issues included insufficient fire safety protocols, non-compliance with building safety codes, having only one entry and exit point, overcrowding and a lack of basic amenities such as drinking water and toilets.
The DM stressed the importance of this initiative in light of the Delhi incident. He said, “Inquiry teams have been formed in all sub-divisions of the district to inspect coaching institutes on various parameters, including registration, security standards, building bylaw enforcement, fire exit arrangements and emergency provisions.”
“All six teams, each comprising the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), sub-divisional fire officer, municipal executive officer, circle officer, block education officer and the station house officer (SHO) of the respective areas, have commenced inspections. They will submit their reports within two weeks. Based on these reports, institutes will be given time to address the issues. If they fail to meet the standards, actions such as closure and sealing of the institutes will be enforced.”
Singh added, “There are 3,123 registered coaching classes in Patna district. The last survey in 2022 covered major institutes, but this time, every coaching centre will be inspected.” He clarified that the objective is not to shut down coaching centres but to ensure they adhere to necessary standards. “Our intention is not to crack down on coaching institutes but to ensure that necessary standards are followed by them,” Singh added.
Patna Sadar SDM Shrikant Kundlik Khandekar said 25 centres were inspected on the first day, with seven found to be unregistered and not compliant with building bylaws and fire safety audits. “We began inspections in Bhikhna Pahadi and Kadamkuan areas, where a large number of students attend coaching classes for competitive exams,” he said.
In Danapur, SDM Pradeep Kumar Singh inspected various institutes along Saguna Mor to Gola Road. He observed significant deficiencies: “Proper arrangements for washrooms, toilets, and drinking water were not found in many institutions. There was no arrangement for fire audits and entry and exit points were inadequate. Apart from one institute on Bailey Road, no registration evidence was presented,” he said.
Singh added, “The owners of all coaching institutes were instructed to get registered and operate in a systematic manner as per the prescribed standards. Coaching institutes will be checked regularly.”
In the Patna City sub-division, 12 coaching classes were inspected, nine of which were registered. In Barh, 11 centres were inspected, with two providing registration documents and one in the process of registering. In Masaurhi’s Rahmatganj area, none of the nine inspected centres were registered.