Supreme Court in Delhi tragedy case

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi government over the death of three civil service aspirants who drowned in a flooded basement of a training centre in a building violating civic safety and fire safety rules in Rajendra Nagar during heavy rains last month.

During the hearing, the court criticized the authorities for the lack of supervision over the training centers, calling them “death chambers” and accusing them of “playing with the lives of children.”

The court also sought information on what rules and regulations have been framed for coaching centres, of which there are potentially hundreds in Delhi alone, many of which charge exorbitant fees to prepare students for the IAS entrance exam, yet operate in unsafe conditions.

“These places have become death chambers. Coaching institutes are allowed to function online if there is no full compliance with safety rules and basic norms of decent living. Coaching centres are playing with the lives of candidates…” Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said.

The court said these standards should include adequate ventilation and safe entrances and exits.

The Supreme Court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioner — Coaching Institute Federation — for challenging the Delhi High Court order to close down all facilities that failed civic safety and fire safety checks; nearly three dozen such centres were shut down.

The deaths of the students – which were the result of drains failing to clean stagnant rainwater that had seeped into the basement along with sewage – have sparked a dispute over the city’s infrastructure.

Last week, the Delhi High Court came down heavily on police and city officials; “Some officer must be held accountable… these people must live,” the court said, before directing the CBI to investigate.

The outraged court asked serious questions of city authorities and their ability to plan and maintain urban infrastructure, especially in times of crises such as floods.

“They are not equipped to deal with this… maybe they do not understand how civic planning works. MCD officials are responsible for ensuring that the drains are working… this is a case of criminal negligence. This is not a swimming pool,” the Supreme Court said.

Investigations to date have uncovered numerous violations by the building and training facility owners, including using a basement without a permit and lying to obtain a certificate from the fire department. They are among seven people arrested so far.

In addition, last week, a city court denied a motion for bail filed by the building’s co-owners, saying the case was beyond its jurisdiction after being transferred to a federal agency.