Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar (File)
The Rajya Sabha on Monday deferred a short discussion to flag the death of four students - three drowned in the flooded basement of an east Delhi coaching centre on Saturday and a fourth was electrocuted last week. Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had received three notices for suspension of regular House business but this was opposed by the Congress, the primary opposition.
"This was conveyed to me by Jairam Ramesh (the Congress' comms chief) in categorical terms."
The Congress reportedly also wanted a discussion on other issues affected students, including the contentious NEET-UG examination row, as well as violence and unrest in Manipur.
Earlier Mr Dhankhar had slammed the business of coaching centres, telling the House, "Coaching has become virtually commerce. Every time we read a newspaper, front one or two pages are their ads..."
"I have received notices under Rule 267...they (the MPs who served the notice) have demanded a discussion on the tragic death of three students in Delhi due to negligence of authorities..." he had said.
Among those who served notice was Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal - a political twist given her fractious current relationship with the party; the former Delhi Commission for Women chief is roiled in a court case with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide, Bibhav Kumar, whom she has accused of assault.
Ms Maliwal - who remains a member of the AAP, for now - said she was seeking "justice and compensation" for the families of the students, all of whom were studying to clear the UPSC exams.
"I have filed notice today for suspension of business... for discussion on the pertinent issue - justice and compensation for the four UPSC aspirants who died... (the) voice of the students will not go unheard."
Several BJP leaders, including Sudhanshu Trivedi and Ram Chandra Jangra, and the CPIM's John Brittas, had also served notices. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also backed a discussion.
Meanwhile, the tragedy was also mentioned in the Lok Sabha.
"It's a shocking situation... when you have a brilliant student (whose) dreams of serving the nation... have been shattered and the hopes of the family have been shattered. This is a matter which obviously calls for compensation... but no compensation can be enough..." Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said.
"There are a number of serious issues that need to be addressed - there is sadly a level of violations of basic norms when it comes to building codes, fire safety, flood safety... that is rampant in the city."
Mr Tharoor's sharp comments have raised eyebrows, given his party and the AAP that is in power in Delhi, and controls the city's civic body, are part of the INDIA opposition bloc.
"The corporation also has responsibility. I have seen... in the hands of a journalist... a certificate of clearance issued on July 9. The corporation allows these people to do what they're doing..." he raged.
Delhi Students Drown
Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav - both aged 25 - and Navin Delvin, 28, drowned after water entered the basement of a building in Delhi's Rajendra Nagar. The basement was being used as a library - gattached to a coaching centre called Rau's IAS Study Circle's basement - in violation of rules.
READ | Day After 3 Die, 13 "Illegal" Coaching Centres Sealed In Delhi
The fourth student was Nilesh Rai, 26, who was electrocuted in Patel Nagar.
READ | UPSC Aspirant Electrocuted On Waterlogged Road In Delhi: Cops
The was as Mr Rai, who is from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, stepped out to buy groceries.
Bulldozer Action
This morning the Municipal Corporation of Delhi acted against alleged encroachment by the coaching centre; visuals shared by news agency ANI showed earthmovers outside the building.
BJP Protests Against AAP
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has launched an entirely expected protest against the AAP.
Delhi Police had to use water cannons to disperse BJP workers protesting near the party's office. The protester were joined the party's Delhi unit boss, Virendraa Sachdeva.
How Delhi Coaching Centre Put Lives In Danger
Inquiries so far have indicated multiple lapses by the coaching centre's owner and civic authorities.
The coaching centre got a No-Objection Certificate from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in August 2021. The certificate, seen by NDTV, says the basement is to be used for parking and storage.
This morning a Junior Engineer with the MCD was sacked a senior employee suspended.
READ | Action Against 2 Engineers After Study Centre Flooding Kills Students
The officials worked with the maintenance department for the Karol Bagh Zone.
The coaching centre also secured a similar certificate from the fire department this month.
This document, also accessed by NDTV, claims the building has complied with existing fire safety regulations, and stresses the basement should be used in accordance with building bye-laws.
READ | Month Before Basement Deaths, Student's SOS Flagged Huge Risk
These state that adequate arrangements shall be made to ensure surface drainage does not enter the basement, and, should it be used for office and commercial purposes, multiple entry/exit points are required. However, in the case of this building, there was just the one entry/exit point.
Locals have blamed the incident on drains clogged with silt; this lead to the flood-like situation following rains. Pending completion of the investigation, the coaching centre's owner, Abhishek Gupta, and coordinator, Deshpal Singh, have sent the duo to judicial custody for 14 days.
The accused face multiple charges, including of culpable homicide, under the new criminal laws.
With input from agencies
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