Minor blaze at Shastri Bhawan,Fire chief blames bad planning in government buildings

“The fire was reported from an electric box in the corridor of the floor. The cable had caught fire apparently due to a short-circuit. However,no one was injured in the incident,” said a police officer.

This is the third fire incident reported from a major government office in the city in the past one month. Last Sunday,a minor fire broke out in the North Block,housing the Home Ministry. The fire reportedly started from a conference hall next to Home Minister P Chidambaram’s office at around 2.20 pm. Eight fire tenders were rushed to control the situation.

A fire had broken out two weeks ago in the office of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the CGO complex. However,being a Sunday,not many people were present at the office and no injuries were reported. “A lot of computers were gutted in that fire and important documents were lost. What is strange is that even the fire alarm did not go off,” a police officer told Newsline.

Blaming the heat and excessive load of “combustible material” in government buildings,Director of Fire Department A K Sharma said,“It is summer and fires are common in such excessive heat. Moreover,huge piles of records accumulate in government offices over a period of time. These buildings are old and the load of air-conditioners,heaters,manpower and combustible substances are taking a toll on them.”

Emphasising the need for “planning ahead” and revamping the wiring in most buildings,Sharma said,“If we don’t plan ahead, 50 years the line,we are going to face more such problems. The wiring needs to be revamped because even a spark can start a fire. If not tackled properly,it will lead to another Mumbai Mantralaya-like situation.”