Secretariat returning to normal, Building No. 7 opened
11 days after the fire at the Secretariat, the damaged Building No. 7 has been opened. This has brought the Secretariat back to normal.
On Sunday (January 5), officials and employees were seen entering the premises. Except for the four floors that were burnt down, the officials and employees have started working on the remaining five floors of the nine-storey building. However, no one except the officials of the Public Works Department is allowed to enter after the fifth floor (the upper floors).
Although it has been opened, there are still black spots of ash on the floor. Cleaning work is underway to make everything in order. However, the water supply and electricity supply to the building are still disrupted.
It is worth noting that the fire broke out shortly before 2 am on December 25, and after six hours of efforts, the fire service brought the fire under control around 8 am on Thursday. It took about 10 hours to completely extinguish the fire.
The investigation committee formed under the leadership of the senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in this incident said in its initial report that the fire started from an electrical 'loose connection'.