Less than a kilometer from the Aliganj building where a fire killed 15 people on Monday, several training institutes continue to operate from cramped commercial spaces with limited evacuation options, an HT ground survey showed on Tuesday.
D-Aliganj sector, Kapurthala belt and Purania are among the largest coaching centers in Lucknow, attracting thousands of students preparing for competitive exams like UPSC, NEET, JEE, SSC and Banking. The area is also home to a large number of students who live in rented accommodation near training centres. A visit by HT to Kapurthala and Purania found that many institutes operate out of buildings with narrow stairwells and no secondary exit route visible to students in case of emergency.
In one of the training institutes in Kapurthala, classes were held on several floors accessible by a single staircase. Another institute in Purania operated from a similarly crowded building where students had to rely on the same entry route for evacuation during a fire or other emergency.
The findings come as authorities began inspections across the city in the wake of Monday’s tragedy in Aliganj, where students and staff were trapped inside a training institute after a fire broke out in the building.
This issue is of particular importance in the Aliganj Training Area, where hundreds of students spend several hours a day inside educational institutions that operate out of converted residential or mixed-use buildings.
HT had highlighted similar concerns last year during a survey of training institutes across Lucknow. The exercise found that many facilities are operating without mandatory safety permits and lack basic fire safety infrastructure.
The rapid growth of training centers in the area has transformed many residential areas into crowded educational centers, often without corresponding improvements in safety infrastructure, residents said.
A resident of the area said: “Thousands of students come here every day. After what happened in Aliganj, every training institute should be inspected.”
