Fire at Mantralaya, govt rules out sabotage

A major fire broke out on Thursday at Maharashtra’s state secretariat building, better known as the Mantralaya, here. At least two people died in the accident and seventeen others were injured, according to a Press Trust of India report.

The state government has ruled out sabotage, though several witnesses claimed the fire was a deliberate attempt to destroy important files, including those on the Adarsh housing scam. The Central Bureau of Investigation immediately brought out a release stating all crucial files on the Adarsh scam were safe.

State rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam said at about 2:45 pm, a fire broke out, owing to a short circuit in a joint secretary's office on the fourth floor. It soon spread to the fourth, fifth and sixth floors.

The offices of the state chief minister, deputy chief minister and chief secretary, along with those of other ministers and secretaries were gutted in the fire. The office and the control room of the disaster management cell also suffered heavy damages.

More than 30 fire tenders, including those requisitioned from private and public sector companies, were pressed into service. Till the time of filing this report, about 60 per cent of the fire had been brought under control. However, state government officials, along with those from the fire department, said it would take more than five hours for the fire-fighters to douse the blaze completely.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told Business Standard all efforts were made to bring the fire under control, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced all offices in the Mantralaya would be temporarily shifted to the state legislature.