Coaching centres found to be running from basement of building will be sealed: Patna DM

The Patna district administration on Sunday said that any coaching centre found to be running from the basement of a building in the district will be sealed forthwith. Patna District Magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh, who has launched an inspection drive ever since three civil servant aspirants died in an institute in Delhi, said that so far no coaching centre here was found to be running from the basement.

"Officials of the district administration have been given clear instructions to immediately seal those coaching institutes which are running from the basement. This is simply a violation of the existing norms of running a coaching institute. However, so far district officials, who are conducting the inspection of coaching centres, have not found even a single institute in the state capital which is running from the basement," the DM told PTI on Sunday.

The Patna district administration has given a month to coaching institutes to fully comply with the rules. They must obtain mandatory registration to run coaching centres in the district. Strict action will be taken against those centres who fail to comply with the existing provisions after a month, the DM said.

"The district administration has so far (in the last six days) received applications from around 1,100 coaching centres in Patna for registration/renewal. Their applications are under process. The district administration has also decided to launch an online system of single Window Clearance' for all mandatory clearances/permissions to coaching institutes in the district ... .a portal will be launched for the purpose within a few days," said the DM.

The ongoing inspection of coaching institutes by the district officials has revealed that the majority of them are overcrowded and are running in crowded areas, he said. They have been categorically asked to ensure allocation of a minimum of one square metre for each student during a class/batch, said the DM, adding there should be sufficient infrastructure in proportion to the number of students enrolled.

"The owners of coaching institutes have also been asked to ensure that one entry and one exit point must be there in each classroom, specified under the existing provisions. We are concerned about the safety and security of students....we don't want to create any panic among the coaching centres in the district. Steps that are being taken are preventive measures," the DM said.

The state capital is seen as Bihar's 'coaching hub' attracting boys and girls from far-off places who want to appear in engineering, medical and civil services examinations.