A minor fire that broke out near the office of Industries Minister P. Rajeeve in the Secretariat complex on Tuesday triggered panic.
There were no casualties or significant damage in the fire.
The fire outbreak came to light after security guards noticed smoke billowing out of the third floor of the North Sandwich block around 7.55 a.m. The Kerala Fire and Rescue Services rushed two fire units to douse the fire within nearly 15 minutes.
Probe on
According to official sources, the fire could have been triggered by a short-circuit in the air-conditioning unit in Mr. Rajeeve’s additional private secretary G. Vinod’s office. Nonetheless, various agencies have commenced probes to ascertain the cause of the fire. The Cantonment police have registered a case. State Police Chief Anil Kant has entrusted the Crime Branch with the investigation.
Senior officials, including District Collector Geromic George, rushed to the spot to take stock of the damage. While security was tightened on the Secretariat premises after the incident, employees were permitted inside only after thorough screening.
Mr. Rajeeve, who spoke to media persons, said no files were damaged in the fire. He added the department had only e-files that were connected to a server and had proper backup.
The fire outbreak has raised eyebrows as it occurred at a time when various departments, including the Industries department, are on the defensive following a barrage of allegations of corruption centred around the procurement of AI-enabled cameras for identifying traffic rule violations.
Rubbishing allegations that the fire was a planned sabotage intended to destroy the files pertaining to the contracts, Mr. Rajeeve said all files related to the project were with the General Administration department and that they had never come to the Industries department at any juncture.
