Haldwani, June 29 -- A joint team of the District Development Authority (DDA), district administration and the Fire department on Sunday sealed five coaching centres in Haldwani for failing to produce mandatory Fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and violating basic fire safety norms, officials said. With the latest action, a total of 12 coaching centres have been sealed so far as part of the administration's ongoing enforcement drive against institutions operating without complying with prescribed safety standards. According to City Magistrate Abhay Pratap Vajpayee, the joint inspection team conducted surprise inspections at coaching centres located on Mukhani Road and Panchakki Road on Saturday late evening to verify compliance with fire safety regulations. During the inspection, officials found that none of the coaching institutes had obtained the mandatory Fire NOCs. "Although some institutes had installed fire extinguishers, these appeared to be merely for display purposes as the staff members failed to demonstrate how to operate them when asked," Vajpayee said. The City Magistrate said the coaching centres were also found lacking adequate emergency evacuation arrangements. Most of the institutes had only a single entry and exit point, whereas fire safety regulations mandate the provision of a separate emergency exit. In addition, there was only one staircase providing access to the first and second floors, which could pose a serious risk during emergencies, he said. Officials further found that neither teachers nor other staff members had undergone any fire safety training or received instructions on emergency response protocols. Following these violations, the joint team sealed five coaching centres on the spot. The coaching institutes sealed during the drive include Vision Future, Kumaon Defence Academy, Pi Square, another branch of Vision Future, and Krishna IAS and Defence Academy, officials said. Vajpayee said the enforcement drive would continue across the city and warned that no compromise would be made on the safety of students....