Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued notices to five more coaching centres in the 11 No. Stop area ahead of a citywide enforcement drive against institutions violating fire safety norms.
With the compliance deadline ending on Tuesday, the BMC's Fire Department will begin action against defaulting coaching centres from Wednesday.
According to BMC officials, 31 coaching centres are under the scanner for failing to comply with fire safety regulations or submit the mandatory affidavit.
In the first phase, action will be initiated against 15 institutions. The drive may include sealing the premises and seizing equipment wherever required.
The BMC served notices to nearly 61 coaching centres across Bhopal on June 23 following inspections to assess fire safety arrangements. Earlier, eight coaching institutes were sealed for violating safety norms.
To avoid immediate action, coaching operators were called for a meeting at the BMC headquarters on July 7, where they were asked to submit an affidavit on a ?200 stamp paper, undertaking to implement all prescribed fire safety measures within 30 days.
However, only 30 of the 61 institutions submitted the affidavit, while the remaining failed to do so. The proposal for action has already been forwarded to Additional Commissioner Tanmay V Sharma for approval.
BMC officials said the crackdown is aimed at ensuring the safety of students attending coaching centres.
Besides the five institutes at 11 No. Stop that received notices on Tuesday, several prominent coaching centres across the city have also been served notices during the ongoing inspection drive.
Institutions face enforcement
BMC fire officer Saurabh Patel said institutions that neither submitted the undertaking nor initiated compliance will now face enforcement. Patel said strict action will continue against institutions found violating fire safety norms.
