Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, July 11: A major fire today destroyed a two storey annexe building in Civil Secretariat in Srinagar gutting official records of six departments and service books of over 300 employees.
The Government ordered a time bound inquiry into the fire incident to be conducted by Secretary, General Administ-ration Department Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad. The inquiry will be completed within 15 days.
The fire broke out in the two storied annexe building of Civil Secretariat at around 9 a.m. and engulfed the whole building that was made up of wood. Firemen doused the flames by 11 a.m. when the building and records were already destroyed.
The Superintendent of Police Civil Secretariat Security, Maqsoodul Zaman told Excelsior that it is believed that the cause of fire was electric short circuit. He said that the official records of six Government Departments and service books of over 300 employees were gutted in the fire and a two-storey building was completely damaged.
The residents of Suthra Shahi who live adjacent to Civil Secretariat and employees alleged that the fire tenders reached the spot too late. They said that the building caught fire at 9 a.m. and the first fire tender reached the spot from Safa Kadal area of Srinagar after 9.30 a.m. They alleged that the Headquarters of the Fire and Emergency Services is adjacent to Civil Secretariat and they failed to reach on the spot in time to save the building.
Residents of Shutrashahi protested against the Government and Fire and Emergency Department after window panes of their houses were damaged due to impact of the heat. They said that it is after their protest that fire tenders focussed on saving their houses.
The Director General Fire and Emergency Services, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, told reporters that his department pressed 15 fire tenders into service. “The building was made of wood and that is the reason we couldn’t save it. Our main concern was the houses adjacent to the building in Suthra Shahi”, he added.
Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah rushed from a function at Gulab Bagh in Srinagar to Civil Secretariat to inspect the gutted building.
He was briefed about the incident by the top brass of the administration and Director General Fire Services, GM Bhat. He directed for emergent measures to save the retrieved records and to house the gutted offices.
Minister for PHE, Sham Lal Sharma, Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo, Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, BB Vyas, various Administrative Secretaries and officers besides President and Members of Civil Secretariat Employee’s Union were present on the occasion.
The two-storey building, made of wood and brick masonry, was about 50 metres away from the six-storey concrete complex housing the offices of Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues, Chief Secretary and most of the senior bureaucrats.
Most of the ministers had not reached the Civil Secretariat when fire broke out while hundreds of the Government officials, including senior bureaucrats, on reaching the Secretariat saw the annexe building on fire.
Sources said that official records of six departments and service books of over 300 officials were gutted in the blaze. The building housed offices of the Director General of Accounts and Treasuries, Cooperative, Higher Education, Revenue, Vice Chairman of Gujjar and Bakerwal Advisory Board and a dispensary.
Sources said that guardrooms of CRPF in the building also gutted in the fire. However, the arms and ammunition were saved but one Insas Rifle was burnt in the fire.
Two fire brigade personnel identified as Ashiq Hussain and Ghulam Rasool were injured while trying to douse the flames. The president of Secretariat employees Union, Rouf Ahmad Bhat said four Government employees were injured while trying to save the official record.
Bhat blamed that the Fire tenders didn’t reach the spot in time to save the building and records. He, however, said that the inquiry will reveal the cause of the fire.
The offices in the Civil Secretariat were closed after the fire. SP Security Maqsoodul Zaman said that the area was sealed and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials were immediately called in to take the samples at the site.
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