How safe are Delhi schools?

An RTI reply reveals more than 1200 of them are functioning without the necessary No Objection Certificate from the fire department, putting your kid's life at risk

Does your child's school have a well-equipped technology lab? Yes? Alright, does it have a sizable auditorium? Yes? OK, now think before answering this one - is the school fire safe?


is it safe? Frank Anthony Public School at Lajpat Nagar is also under the
scanner. Representative pic

Probably not, if it's on the list of 1288 such institutions in the Capital, including many big names, that are functioning without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department. And both government and private schools have flouted guidelines. All this was revealed by the education department in reply to an RTI plea last month.

Activist Manish Bhatnagar asked the government of Delhi about details of schools which have not received NOCs from the fire department. The list that he received comprised names of famed private institutions like Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj, Amity International School, Malviya Nagar and Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan. Government institutions like Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Mandawali, Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Sultanpuri and Sarovadaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Madanpur Khadar and are also part of the line-up.

'Hands tied'
When contacted by MiD DAY, fire officials expressed their helplessness in the matter, claiming they had no authority in setting or ensuring adherence to fire safety norms by schools.
"The guidelines of fire safety at schools are regulated by the Directorate of Education (DoE). If they tell us to check any school only then can we take a step forward. If we find a school's safety measures to be OK, then we grant them the NOC. But if that is not the case then we don't give them an NOC, but we can't force them to follow the guidelines either," said RC Sharma, Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Services.

Mum's the word
MiD DAY approached many of the schools on the list, seeking their reaction, but all of them refused to comment on the issue. However some school officials confirmed on the condition of anonymity that they have complained about the situation to higher authorities many times but no action has been taken. Incidentally, the Supreme Court had ordered in the case of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the year 2004 that no school can operate without adherence to fire safety norms.

"In a writ petition after a fire incident at Lord Krishna Middle School in Kumbakonam district of Chennai in 2004, the Supreme Court ordered that buildings for schools shall be constructed only by a government certified engineer and the PWD.

The constitution requires that India's school children receive education in safe schools. The government must ensure that our schools adhere to basic safety standards without delay and it is mandatory for every school to procure a No Objection Certificate from the fire department. Even after such order, schools are openly violating the guidelines while running their business," said Manish Bhatnagar, the RTI activist.