114 coaching centres sealed in Hyderabad for violating fire safety norms

As part of an ongoing drive to ensure fire safety and compliance of other civic norms, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) along with the Directorate of Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM), sealed 114 coaching centres in the city on Friday.

This came a day after the municipal authorities had sealed 30 instuitutes in the city on Thursday, as part of the same drive. The GHMC said that it had served a notice to all the institutes, but as it received no response, it went ahead with its plans to shut down the coaching centres.

On Friday, on the stretch between Mehdipatnam and Gachibowli, a total of 30 institutes were sealed, while in the areas of Kukatpally and KPHB, 46 institutes were shut down. Officials also said that another 38 institutes had ben sealeld in the areas of Ashok agar, RTC X Road, Himayatnagar, Narayanguda and Basheerbagh.

EVDM Director Viswajeet Kampati said that the drive would continue for a few more days, until coaching centres complied to the municipal rules.

Last month, in a major drive, over 20,000 illegal hoardings were removed from buildings in Hyderabad by the GHMC. The operation was carried out in the areas of Maitrivanam, Ameerpet and SR Nagar, which are notorious for cramped coaching centres and other commercial establishments.

Earlier, GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore inspected fire safety measures at various coaching centres situated in Ameerpet and told Vishwajeet Kampati to conduct a detailed survey of all institutes and submit a report.

Accompanied by several senior officials, Dana Kishore pointed out that several thousand people throng to the buildings every day and a potential disaster was waiting to happen.

He urged the management of all the institutes in the area to ensure that adequate fire safety measures are in place, failing which they would be forced to shut down or even have their licences revoked.

The GHMC stepped into action after a ghastly incident in May, where as many as 22 students studying at a coaching centre in Surat in Gujarat, lost their lives in a huge fire.

This came a day after the municipal authorities had sealed 30 instuitutes in the city on Thursday, as part of the same drive.