Fire paralyses secretariat operations, many officials head home: What next?
Firefighters completely extinguished the flames on multiple floors at around 11:45am
In the aftermath of the fire at the secretariat, which caused significant damage to the offices of several ministries, employees and officials of the seven ministries located in the affected nine-story building were not seen engaged in any work today (26 December).
The activities of ministries in other buildings were also proceeding in a limited capacity.
Since access to the secretariat has been restricted after the fire, many officials were unable to enter its premises. Those who did enter were seen standing in small groups, chatting about the incident, as observed at around 11:30am.
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In addition, due to power outages in several departments, officials are unable to carry out their responsibilities.
The fire broke out in building 7 of the secretariat at around 1.52am. Firefighters brought the flames under control at around 8:05am, according to Fire Service and Civil Defence officials.
At around noon, Labour Ministry Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hussain visited his office for an inspection.
Employees of various departments in building 7, after inspecting their offices, reported that most rooms on the 6th, 7th and 8th floors had been severely damaged. Documents, computers and furniture were destroyed by the fire.
However, the damage on other floors was comparatively less. Items were also damaged owing to the water used to extinguish the fire, they said.
An official stated that no ministry had carried out any activities until around 11:30am. After that, some officials resumed their work, while others were seen leaving.
It was observed that water from the fire service was scattered around building-7. Several pigeons were found dead, and broken window panes were scattered. Law enforcement agencies are not allowing anyone to enter the building.
'Restoration may take over a month'
When asked about the timeline for resuming operations, an official of the Local Government Division said four floors of the building need complete renovation due to the damage caused.
These floors house the Road Transport and Highways Division, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Cooperatives Division, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry, Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
"The fire damaged electrical and water lines, furniture, computers, internet connections and CCTV systems. Plaster has fallen from walls and ceilings, and paint is ruined in many areas. Even with the highest priority, it will take over a month to make the spaces operational," the official added.
"The fire also destroyed or damaged many ministry files. While backups exist for some documents in other ministries or archives, files unique to the affected ministries will need to be recreated. Digital backups are expected to assist in this process, as most documents have been digitally stored in recent years."
The official said restoration could take longer if the investigation requires preserving the building in its current state.
Today, a limited number of advisers, secretaries and officials were permitted to enter the building to assess the damage, but general staff remained barred from entry.
