Lucknow: Lucknow Development Authority on Saturday directed school and coaching centre authories to inspect electrical wiring, avoid overloading power connections regularly and ensure students and staff are trained to respond in case of a fire or any other emergency.The directions were issued at a workshop at Mars Auditorium of Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, days after the Aliganj building fire claimed 15 lives.Officials from LDA, fire department, electrical safety division, education department and district administration briefed school and coaching centre operators on mandatory fire and building safety norms.LDA secretary Vivek Srivastava said “Overloaded circuits and faulty wiring are among the leading causes of fire accidents and should never be ignored.”“Regular mock drills and awareness programmes should be conducted so that everyone knows how to respond during an emergency,” he added.When some operators said they functioned from rented premises and responsibility rested with building owners, officials said onus of students’ safety could not be passed on to anyone else. They said school and coaching centre managements are equally responsible along with owners of the building to ensure full safety compliance. Owners of the buildings housing educational institutions must submit a notarised affidavit certifying compliance with fire safety norms.LDA help desk for sealed institutesLDA will set up a help desk at its committee hall from 10 am on Jun 29 to assist owners and managers of sealed schools and coaching centres. They can submit sanctioned building plans and fire safety documents for verification. If all prescribed norms are found to have been complied with, seals would be removed from the premises within 24 to 72 hours of survey.
