Fire breaks out at yet-to-be-inaugurated Telangana Secretariat building

Hyderabad: Fire broke out at yet to be inaugurated Telangana Secretariat building in the wee hours of Friday. Eleven fire brigades were pressed into service to douse the flames. The incident has occurred days before the inauguration scheduled on February 17th.

According to the eyewitnesses, the fire started at 2.30 am on the ground floor. It quickly spread to the first and second floor. There was scrap material and an air conditioning wiring duct on the floor.

Later the fire was brought under control. Fire officials posted at the secretariat are ascertaining the cause. “It is still not known what caused the fire,” a senior fire brigade official told News Meter.

Secretariat inauguration

The new Secretariat will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister on February 17th. The Secretariat complex sprawls across 28 acres. It has parking space for 560 cars and over 900 two-wheelers. There are also six sentry posts around the Secretariat. In addition, 300 CCTV cameras are monitoring the area. There is also a dedicated command and control centre to manage the security procedures. Visitors will be issued unique identity cards as well. At present, there are fire safety measures in the Secretariat building, two fire trucks, and 34 staff members. All floors, except the sixth, will be open to visitors. While the sewerage works are being done, the Water Board has already set up a water supply.

Assembly sessions are scheduled to start on 3 February and the new Secretariat will be inaugurated on 17 February. The city police chief said officers will be stationed to ensure the free movement of dignitaries and VVIPS and added that there will be no restriction on the movement of Secretariat employees, labour, and material.