After Surat tragedy, Delhi govt asks fire department to check safety norms in city institutions

The Delhi government on Monday directed the fire department officials to investigate the fire safety norms at all the coaching centres operating in high rise buildings across the city. The action was initiated against the backdrop of the devastating blaze in Surat that left 22 students dead and several others injured on Friday.

As per the latest reports, all the coaching centres operating in high rise buildings will be inspected by the Director of Fire Services, who has been instructed to take immediate action for closing down those institutes running above the fourth floor of an establishment in violation of the fire norms.

All coaching centres operating in high rise buildings shall be inspected by the Director (Fire Services) who shall take immediate action for closing down the operation of coaching institutes operating above the fourth floor in such buildings in violation of the fire norms. #Delhi https://t.co/OtX1rvKPgh

— ANI (@ANI) May 27, 2019

Twenty-two students, including 18 girls, of an art and craft coaching institute died in a deadly fire that engulfed the four-storeyed Takshashila Arcade in Sarthana area of Surat on Friday. While many of the students jumped off the high rise building and fell to their deaths, others were suffocated.

In a video clip, emerged on social networking sites, several young students at the coaching centre can be seen jumping off the third and fourth floors of the building amid plumes of thick smoke.

Preliminary probe revealed that use of inflammable materials, including flex and tyres, and fire tenders stationed away from the spot contributed to the blaze at the commercial complex in Surat and hampered the firefighting operation for about 45 minutes.

In the wake of the tragedy, the owner of the institute, Bhargav Butani, was arrested on Saturday. The builders, identified as Harshul Vekaria and Jignesh Paghdal, who were on the run in connection to the devastating fire, were taken into the police custody on Sunday.