LG sets up committee to regulate coaching centres in Delhi

New Delhi
Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena on Wednesday constituted a committee to look into the operation and regulation of coaching centres in Delhi, according to officials with the LG secretariat. Saxena directed the body, headed by the chief secretary of Delhi, to set up coaching hubs, develop guidelines for the operation of coaching centres and shut all teaching and library facilities running from basements.
The work will be reviewed in a fortnight, officials said.
“CS will head a committee comprising 5-6 representatives of coaching institutions, representatives of students and officials of departments concerned. This committee will comprehensively address all the issues related to regulation, exorbitant rental by landlords, fire clearances, desilting of drains and other immediate needs of the students to create a conducive educational environment. The committee shall prepare long-term and short-term action plans for gradually shifting coaching institutes from various locations to a well-planned area,” a letter issued by the LG secretariat said.
The move comes after LG Saxena on Monday met protesting students at Rajendra Nagar and discussed issues raised by them with officials and stakeholders. The students were protesting for basic amenities following the death by drowning of three students in the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Centre on July 27.
According to the letter, the CS will formulate guidelines in line with those framed by the Government of India in January. While guidelines were sent to all states for implementation, no action was taken in Delhi, the letter said.
The LG secretariat further directed the vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to facilitate site visits for representatives of coaching institutions at Narela and Rohini, as a first step towards establishing an education hub.
“Any coaching institute running library or teaching facility in the basement would be sealed immediately. It was agreed that as a short term measure, the institutes, especially the larger ones, would assist students by providing them spaces as reading rooms on other floors of their buildings,” the letter said.
It mentioned that the Federation of Coaching Institutes has agreed to offer compensation to the bereaved families of the three deceased students and also offered a discount on the fee in the current academic session to enrolled students due to mental agony and disruption of studies.
The LG directed the setting up of a portal, with Aadhaar-based credentials, of all coaching institutes and students enrolled with them.
“This would help create a transparent database which would help the government in shaping the policy framework from time to time. MCD will create a link on their portal to facilitate online application for fire clearances for coaching institutions facing challenges due to ambiguity. Commissioner, MCD, may convene a meeting of the fire department to clarify the regulatory framework and building by-laws,” the letter said.
An official with the LG’s office said that the police commissioner was directed to immediately crack down on landlords and brokers charging exorbitant rentals in student hubs, check tax evasion due to cash-only transactions and sensitise beat constables and station house officers to provide sympathetic and proactive support to students.
The official, requesting anonymity, said that most complaints shared by students with LG pertained to the general apathy of public representatives, MCD and police officers, exploitative rent-seeking, prevalence of a cash economy in settling the rentals, high electricity tariff, cramped accommodation and teaching facilities, non-existence of a grievance redressal mechanism, a lack of basic facilities within the coaching institutes and difficulties in securing refunds.
Coaching institute operators highlighted the absence of regulatory clarity, citing multiple agencies being responsible for different activities, diverse sets of rules under various agencies, the need for clarity about fire safety norms and the absence of civic infrastructure, the official said.