PRAYAGRAJ, June 25 -- The Uttar Pradesh fire and emergency services expanded its ongoing fire safety audit campaign beyond private coaching centres to include schools, colleges and professional training institutes. The initiative aims to ensure safety compliance in educational establishments that host large numbers of students and staff. As part of the drive, authorities sealed three training institutes operating out of a commercial building on Stanley Road in the Civil Lines area on Wednesday, citing fire safety violations and a lack of proper building-use permissions. According to officials, a team led by Civil Lines fire station officer Rajesh Kumar arrived for a routine inspection around 1 pm. Shortly after their arrival, the institute operators allegedly locked the main gate from the inside, preventing the team from entering. Fire personnel waited for nearly 30 minutes, a delay that drew the attention of local residents and caused confusion among those inside. Supported by the Civil Lines police and the Prayagraj development authority (PDA), the fire department eventually gained access via a rear entrance to conduct a detailed inspection. Authorities discovered a computer training centre functioning in the basement and two paramedical institutes operating on the upper floors. Rajesh Singh, identifying himself as the building owner, told officials that different portions of the property were rented out to separate operators. The manager of one of the paramedical institutes claimed the staff locked the premises because they were alarmed by the presence of police uniforms and wanted to ensure the safety of female students inside. While the man who operates the computer centre and the second paramedical institute, was not present, and his facilities were found locked. The fire safety audit revealed serious deficiencies, including the presence of only one fire extinguisher. Consequently, the management will be issued a notice regarding these lapses. Furthermore, as the operators failed to produce mandatory documents regarding commercial use and the approved building layout, the PDA ordered the sealing of all three institutes. Officials also discovered a girls' hostel operating at the rear of the property and have launched an inquiry to verify its registrations and approvals. Separately, under the direction of CFO Chandra Mohan Sharma, fire officials audited four coaching institutes in Sadar tehsil, where they trained approximately 100 students and staff in evacuation techniques and the use of firefighting equipment. Additional audits were conducted at 25 other coaching and training institutes across the district, including nine in the Gangapar region and 12 in Yamunapar. CFO Sharma stated that these inspections are part of a continuous campaign to strengthen fire safety compliance in educational institutions. PDA zonal officer Gangesh Kumar added that further action would be taken if the operators failed to submit the required documentation....