Gomtinagar

Hazratganj

Kapoorthala

IT College crossing

IT College crossing

Munshipulia

Patrakarpuram

LUCKNOW: What happened in Gujarat’s Surat is waiting to happen in over 2,000 coaching centres in the state capital that are housed in buildings that do not have the mandatory safety clearance from the fire department .A day after 22 people — mostly students aged between 14 and 17 — died in the Surat coaching centre inferno, TOI conducted a reality check in tuition hubs in Hazratganj , Kapoorthala, Patrakarpuram, Munshipulia and IT College areas on Saturday, and found most of them dangerously lacking.These tinderbox buildings have no fire escape and are not equipped with safety systems such as alarms and water sprinklers. Some haven’t even bothered to keep fire extinguishers or sand buckets while others have mushroomed in very congested pockets.Approach roads to these buildings are either too narrow or encroached upon by vendors, which means neither fire tenders nor paramedics will have easy access during an emergency.As if these weren’t enough, many of the buildings have open electrical circuits and unattended mangle of live wires that can trigger a blaze any time.Chief fire officer, Lucknow, Vijay Kumar Singh said according to 2016 data, there were 2,450 registered coaching centres in the city out of which 2,000 had no fire NOC. The fire clearance is granted only when a building has requisite number of fire extinguishers, fire alarms and water sprinklers, besides at least two exit points.Singh added that in the wake of the Surat tragedy, fire department teams would inspect coaching institutes in the city and, in consultation with the district magistrate, initiate action against offenders.While the authorities mull action against rogue buildings, TOI draws up a list of places where crackdowns must begin without delay.: A reputable coaching institute on Nawal Kishore Road, with over 300 students on its rolls, was found in a dilapidated state with crumbling walls and peeling plaster. The classrooms didn’t have fire extinguishers, smoke alarms or water sprinklers.The cradle PRO said the owner had promised to renovate the building and seek a fire safety clearance.: Fire extinguishers and smoke detectors were conspicuous by their absence at a coaching centre here that is preparing over 500 students for medical and engineering entrances. An administrator said they had requested the owner of the building to make fire safety arrangements.: A building without fire NOC here houses a number of coaching centres. Haphazard parking in front of the building has left little space for emergency vehicles.The stairs are broken and there is no fire exit. Wiring in classrooms are also suspect. Coaching centre managers chorused that they would soon install fire extinguishers.: A prominent coaching hub for IIT and NEET here looked like a highway to hell, with dangling wires, no firefighting equipment or designated escape route . Owner of the centre said he had written to the building owner to ensure fire safety.: Four coaching schools, including a prominent one for banking exams, is housed in a building here that totally lacks fire safety measures. Also, the first floor of the building has a restaurant.While the owner refused to talk to TOI, students on the condition of anonymity admitted that they were scared to come here after the Surat incident.