Coaching centre deaths: List steps to prevent recurrence in 4 weeks, SC tells committee

The Supreme Court on Friday asked a committee, appointed by the government to probe the death of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in the Capital due to flooding in the building’s basement, to submit in four weeks an interim report on measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

New drainage system in Old Rajinder Nagar

New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will construct a drainage system on Satpal Bhatia Marg in Old Rajinder Nagar at a cost of Rs 2.74 crore to address the issue of waterlogging, according to an official statement released on Friday. The new drainage system will channel excess stormwater away from the area during heavy rains, helping to prevent flooding.

The direction came after Attorney General R Venkataramani said the Centre has set up a high-level committee to look into the deaths of IAS aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar and that the panel would submit its report in two months.

“This is a serious issue. You should expedite the consultation process as action is needed on an urgent basis. We want the committee to submit its interim measures within four weeks,” the Bench told Venkataramani.

Directing the Governments of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to inform it of the legislative, administrative and policy changes made to prevent a repeat of such incidents, a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant said, "If the need arises, we will pass directions for pan-India to prevent Old Rajinder Nagar-type incidents.”

Uniform initiatives should be taken in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent another Old Rajinder Nagar-type incident, it said.

Three IAS aspirants — Shreya Yadav (25) hailing from UP, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana and Nevin Dalvin (24) from Kerala — drowned to death after rain water entered the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar here on July 27, triggering protests by students/civil services aspirants demanding better safety measures at coaching centres and civic amenities in the area.

As senior advocate Aprajita Singh, representing the victims’ families, said she wanted to be made a party to the case, the Bench allowed her intervention application.

Terming the deaths as an “eye-opener for one and all”, the Supreme Court had on August 5 taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi Government.

“These places (coaching centres) have become death chambers. You are taking away the lives of young ones coming from different parts of the country,” the Bench had said, asking the Delhi Government and the Union Urban Development Ministry to spell out their stand on proper guidelines and safety norms for coaching institutes.