Noida: The district inspector of schools (DIOS) continued its crackdown against coaching institutes running without mandatory permissions and ordered 14 such centres to close down.The notice stated that these centres were operating without a mandatory registration, which is a violation of Uttar Pradesh Coaching Regulation Act, 2002. Coaching centres are also required to obtain a fire safety certificate from the competent authority before commencing operations and ensure other prescribed safety arrangements are in place.The recent scrutiny of coaching centres began after a massive fire in a coaching institute in a three-storey building in Lucknow killed 15 people, mostly students. The notice by the district education department referred to the incident and said it highlighted the need to ensure adequate safety measures at coaching centres where large numbers of students attend classes.Among those centres asked to stop operations are Career Coaching, Sri Chaitanya, The Adi Kautilya and Career Adda — all of which are located in the buzzing education hub of Sector 62.“The department has made clear that coaching operators must comply with the registration requirements as well as safety norms before continuing their operations. The notices were circulated to multiple institutes, indicating that the action is not limited to a single establishment but forms part of a wider regulatory exercise. If the centers cannot show any valid documentation, they will be closed down,” said Chandra Sekhar, DIOS.The crackdown comes amid growing concerns over safety standards at coaching centres, particularly those catering to school and competitive-examination students. “With Sector 62 emerging as a major education and coaching hub, the action is expected to put greater focus on registration, fire safety and basic student-safety infrastructure,” said an official.In the past few months, several coaching centres have been asked to close down. On Aug 25, 13 centres, including Rai Coaching Classes, Basu Education Centre, Eklavya Institute of Education and ASL Institute of Education of Computer in Baraula, Excellent Education Hub, Mission Tutorials BDS, Kumar Institute, Skill Academy Computer Classes, were told to shut operations. Officials said many of these establishments have since submitted their documents and the process of registration is ongoing.In June, two other coaching centres were sealed for failing to comply with the prescribed norms.Several inspections have been carried out in Ghaziabad too. Teams inspected coaching institutes, libraries and other high-footfall establishments, focusing on the availability of fire-fighting equipment, emergency exits, electrical safety systems and evacuation preparedness.According to officials, 81 coaching institutes were inspected across the district. The inspections revealed several centres operating with significant deficiencies, including single staircases, the absence of dedicated fire exits and inadequate fire-fighting arrangements.Notices were issued to 35 institutes found violating fire safety regulations, while several others were closed at the time inspection teams visited. Officials said coaching centre operators were instructed to keep exit routes free of obstructions, maintain fire-fighting equipment in working condition and ensure that evacuation procedures were clearly communicated to students and staff.
