Several important documents of the state government were damaged after a major fire broke out on Friday at the multi-storeyed New Secretariat building located on Strand Road in the central business district here. As many as 26 fire engines and disaster management teams were called into action to control the blaze, state Fire Services Minister Javed Khan, who visited the spot, said.
Kolkata: Fire breaks out at New Secretariat Building; 20 fire tenders rush to spot. pic.twitter.com/tQL37Sc3vF
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The flame, which was first spotted by office-goers at 10.45 am, was brought under control after two hours of fire fighting, Javed added.
The seventh and eighth floor of the 12-storey building were affected and the chambers of the state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukhjerjee and state power minister Manish Gupta were highly damaged, Khan said.
Mukherjee, who rushed to his office after being informed about the incident, said, “I was told the source of the fire is my chamber. I have also heard that the documents sections were gutted completely.”
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Apart from Mukherjee and Khan, Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajeet Kar Purakayastha, too, visited the spot.
The high rise houses a number of government offices including important departments like panchayat and PHE department, transport department, PWD and others. The building houses the state government’s anti-corruption bureau office too.
The fire department officials claimed that few people were inside when the fire broke out, and they have all been rescued.
State fire minister Javed Khan along with senior cabinet ministers have rushed to the spot.
So far, no injury or casualty has been reported. The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained , though police have ruled out possibility of sabotage behind the incident.
With ENS inputs