Kanpur: Triggered by the deadly fire at a coaching centre in Lucknow, the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) and fire department have launched a large-scale crackdown on coaching institutes and commercial establishments violating building and fire safety norms. In the past two days, 46 coaching institutes have been sealed, including prominent names such as Vidyapeeth, Physics Wallah and Work Space, while notices have been issued to 22 others for various violations.The drive began on Monday when KDA sealed 16 institutions for alleged violations of building by-laws and inadequate fire safety arrangements. The campaign intensified on Tuesday, with another 30 coaching institutes sealed across the city.Four KDA enforcement teams conducted inspections in Kakadeo, the city’s largest coaching hub, where thousands of students attend classes every day. Every major commercial building in the area came under scrutiny. By noon on Tuesday, 14 additional coaching institutes had been sealed for deviations from sanctioned building maps and failure to comply with mandatory safety standards.KDA secretary Abhay Pandey said the Lucknow tragedy had prompted authorities to prioritise safety inspections. He noted that the large concentration of students in Kakadeo made strict enforcement essential to prevent any untoward incident.Pandey said action would be taken against buildings lacking fire-fighting equipment, emergency exits and those illegally operating commercial activities from basements without approval in sanctioned maps. He added that enforcement teams had been directed to inspect every building thoroughly and seal premises wherever violations were detected.According to KDA officials, institutions such as Vidyapeeth, Physics Wallah, Sanjeev Rathore Coaching and Work Space were found operating from basements. In several cases, emergency exits shown in approved building plans were either blocked or missing altogether.The Zone-1 enforcement team sealed three buildings, while Zone-2 sealed five institutions. Teams from Zones 3 and 5 sealed three and five institutions respectively for violations related to building plans and safety norms.Officials admitted that thousands of commercial establishments across Kanpur continue to operate from basements. In busy commercial areas such as Naveen Market, several shops function with only a single entry and exit point, posing significant fire and evacuation risks.The crackdown follows the recent fire incident at a coaching centre in Lucknow, which exposed serious safety concerns in educational and commercial buildings across the state. Authorities said inspections would continue in the coming days to ensure compliance with fire safety and building regulations.Residents recalled that a similar drive had been launched after the Malviya Nagar fire incident in New Delhi, during which several illegal basement establishments were sealed. However, many of those premises later resumed commercial operations, raising concerns about long-term enforcement.
