Pune: The drowning deaths of eight students from an Alandi-based private coaching academy in the sea off Diveagar beach have triggered scrutiny of the unregulated functioning of private coaching institutes and raised demands for a clear policy governing educational and recreational trips organised by them.Forty-two students, accompanied by six teachers from Winners Academy and Study Centre in Alandi, had visited Diveagar in Raigad district, about 160 km from Pune, on Thursday. Some students ventured into the sea around 3pm and eight of them drowned.On Friday, Alandi Municipal Council sealed the premises of the academy after an inspection found it was allegedly operating without the required business licence or a no-objection certificate from the civic body.Shriram Panzade, joint director of secondary and higher secondary education, said state govt was in the process of framing a regulatory policy for private coaching classes. “We have so far received about 20,000 suggestions and objections on the matter. Once it is finalised, there will be restrictions on activities, including such trips. At present, there are no such rules or regulations,” he said.Raigad police said there were no specific restrictions governing recreational or educational trips organised by private coaching institutes. A senior Raigad police officer said schools typically divided students into groups and assigned teachers to monitor them throughout excursions. “This kind of mechanism was not followed in this case,” the officer said, adding that beaches pose risks because of rapidly changing tides, strong currents and unpredictable water conditions.Khed MLA Babaji Kale said he would take up the issue with state govt and zilla parishad authorities and seek clarity on the rules governing such activities. “The trip should not have been organised in the first place. Unlike govt schools, these classes do not come under the ambit of any rules. Who is responsible for such activities? I will pursue this matter with the authorities,” Kale, who offered tributes and met the victims’ parents, told TOI.“Parents send their children to coaching classes primarily for education. When such institutes organise trips, there should be clear responsibility and accountability for the safety of the students,” said DD Bhosale, former president of Alandi Municipal Council.Among the victims was 16-year-old Tanmay Dattatray Vahile. His father, Dattatray Vahile, questioned why the students were allowed to venture into the sea despite tidal conditions. “Were the teachers accompanying the students adequately monitoring the children? My family has learnt that some staff members were allegedly on their phones when the accident occurred.”Vahile said his son had called him shortly before reaching the beach and that he assumed academy staff would be closely supervising the students.Tanmay’s uncle, Pintu Vahile, said the coaching academy had obtained parental consent for the trip but argued that the consent forms could not absolve organisers of responsibility for ensuring student safety. He called for a detailed investigation into the supervision arrangements, precautions taken and the decisions made before allowing students into the sea.Vitthal Bhandwalkar, uncle of another victim Soham Bhandwalkar, alleged that the students were not provided safety jackets and were largely left on their own at the beach. He said police should thoroughly examine if sufficient attention was paid to safety protocols.Madhav Khandekar, chief officer of the civic body, told TOI, “Our team inspected the academy premises and found that the coaching classes were being conducted from a property owned by one Narayan Haribhau Das. Municipal records showed that the establishment had neither obtained the necessary business licence nor a no-objection certificate.”A civic team, led by its tax department chief Seema Charve, sealed the academy premises in police presence.
