Ranchi: Five Lalpur-based coaching institutions were sealed on Wednesday for allegedly violating building and safety norms and operating without trade licence. The action followed a special inspection drive across coaching institutions and libraries located in the city, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) said in a statement.The sealed centres are The Pathshala, Patanjali IAS Academy, Motion Academy, CLAT Preparation, and Chaitanya IAS Academy.Inspections carried out by the RMC’s enforcement wing in August found deficiencies in fire NOC, fire safety arrangements, entry and exit facilities, ventilation, space availability, and other building requirements. The institutes were also found operating without valid trade licence in violation of the Jharkhand Municipal Act, 2011, and the Jharkhand Municipal Trade Licence Rules, 2017, the statement read.The civic body’s revenue and town planning wings on August 27 issued notices to the institutes and gave them three days to meet the norms. The coaching centres were sealed after they failed to comply with the rules within the stipulated timeframe, it added.Sanjay Kumar, director of Patanjali IAS Academy, said, “The compliance window was inadequate. We received the notice on Saturday. We did not get enough time to apply for whatever was missing from our side. These processes take time.”On the occupancy certificate requirement, Kumar said, “I heard about this legal requirement for the first time. I needed time to understand it and apply for it.”Speaking on condition of anonymity, a manager of another institute said, “Expecting an institute to have its own separate entry and exit points is completely impractical. That responsibility lies with the owner of the building where the institute is located.”“Our institute operates from the upper floors. In an emergency, how are students expected to vacate? Are they supposed to jump directly from the floors, or will they use the building’s common stairs and exits? Penalising us for the building’s structural layout makes no sense,” he added.In a statement, RMC said the drive aimed at ensuring a safe and compliant environment for students. It said coaching institutes must have valid trade licence, fire NOCs, adequate fire-safety measures, proper surveillance and entry-exit arrangements, ventilation and compliance with building norms.Action has been initiated against 18 coaching institutes out of the 70 inspected in August, with five sealed on Wednesday. Proceedings against the remaining identified institutes are under way. Inspections would continue and institutions failing to meet mandatory safety and statutory requirements would face action, including sealing, officials said.
