Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services launched a targeted inspection drive across coaching institutes, tuition classes, and educational institutions in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, sealing at least one establishment and issuing notices to over a dozen others after identifying fire safety deficiencies. The crackdown follows a deadly fire at a coaching centre in Lucknow's Aliganj area that claimed at least 15 lives, prompting authorities across India to tighten compliance checks on educational buildings.

The Lucknow Trigger

The fatal fire broke out on Monday in a three-storey commercial building in Aliganj, Lucknow, which housed a coaching institute alongside other commercial establishments. According to reports, the blaze spread rapidly through the structure, trapping students inside and triggering chaotic escape attempts — including students jumping from windows. Rescue teams recovered multiple bodies from the site, and several injured persons were hospitalised.

Uttar Pradesh authorities subsequently ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the circumstances of the fire, alongside action against alleged violations of safety and building regulations. A wider crackdown on coaching centres across several districts in the state followed, with inspections and sealing actions reported in multiple locations.

Ahmedabad's Inspection Drive

Against that backdrop, fire officials in Ahmedabad conducted inspections across the North-West Zone, covering tuition classes, coaching institutes, computer education centres, and other educational institutions — including units not formally required to hold fire safety certificates. Inspectors checked for fire extinguishers, emergency exits, clear passageways, and electrical safety systems.

Notices were issued to multiple establishments after deficiencies were identified, including Aayatan Academy, P.M. Bhatt Tuition Class, Sigma Novo Classes, Future Path Education, Ahuja Education, G-Tech Computer Education, Dwarkesh Education Institute, Yathashakti Education Institute, J.K. Shah Coaching Institute in Navrangpura, Rajshree Study Centre in Naranpura, Allen Career Institute on Sindhu Bhavan Road in Thaltej, Aakash Educational Services in Thaltej, Unacademy near Lady Talav in Thaltej, Amor Design Institute in Vastrapur, Yash Classes at Mansi Cross Road, Paresh J. Salot Classes, and Aloha Classes in Saman Complex, Mansi Cross Road.

One Centre Sealed

During the drive, officials found that Navkar Digital Institute's fire safety certificate had expired. The institute was subsequently sealed in accordance with applicable provisions — the most severe action taken during the Tuesday inspection round.

What Authorities Have Said

Fire officials described the drive as part of intensified preventive measures to ensure minimum safety standards in educational spaces with high student footfall. Authorities have urged all institutions to maintain functional fire safety equipment, clear evacuation routes, and valid compliance documentation, warning that enforcement action will continue against establishments found in violation of regulations.

This is not the first time India's coaching centre sector has faced scrutiny over fire safety — the sector's rapid expansion, often into densely packed commercial buildings with limited emergency infrastructure, has drawn periodic regulatory attention. The Lucknow tragedy has sharply renewed that focus, and further inspections across Ahmedabad and other cities are expected in the coming days.