After Lucknow fire, education department bans biometric gates at Noida coaching centres

Noida: Coaching centres in Gautam Buddh Nagar will no longer be allowed to use biometric entry gates, as authorities tightened safety norms following the June 22 Lucknow coaching tragedy that killed 15 students.

In a recent order, the district inspector of schools (DIOS) directed all coaching institutes to keep entry gates manual and ensure that students can be evacuated quickly during emergencies.It is now mandatory for institutes to conduct mock evacuation drills twice every month, involving all staff members and at least 10% of enrolled students. Institutes have been asked to submit photographic evidence of the drills, preferably GPS-tagged, to the education department.Under the Uttar Pradesh Coaching Regulation Act, 2002, registration is mandatory for operating any coaching institute in the state. The order also noted that no institute can function without obtaining a fire safety certificate from the competent authority. Running an unregistered coaching centre or one without mandatory safety clearances would be treated as illegal, it stated.Noida DIOS Chandrasekhar said that coaching centres have been instructed to maintain unobstructed emergency exits, windows and roof access to facilitate evacuation during accidents or fires.

“Institutes must also clearly mark evacuation routes and ensure that exit points remain accessible at all times,” the DIOS added.According to officials, biometric entry gates can delay evacuation during emergencies, especially when there is a power outage or a technical failure.“In such situations, access control systems may stop functioning, increasing the risk of people getting trapped inside the premises.

Manual entry and exit gates ensure quicker evacuation and allow rescue teams to respond without any delay. Directions have been issued in public and student interest to ensure that coaching centres are equipped to handle emergencies and minimise risks to students,” a senior official said.The education department also directed operators to keep essential emergency equipment — including fire extinguishers, ropes, fire blankets, shovels and other rescue tools — readily available on the premises.

Every institute must also deploy a security guard and prominently display emergency contact numbers for the fire department, hospitals, police and relevant helplines.Coaching centres have also been directed to complete their documentation and submit registration-related records to the district education office. The registration process will be carried out only after scrutiny of documents and verification that the institutes comply with the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Coaching Regulation Act, 2002, existing govt orders and all applicable legal and safety requirements, officials said.