Secretariat building 7 reopens 11 days after fire damage

Somewhat normalcy is back to the Secretariat 11 days after the fire. The building no. 7 of the Secretariat, which was severely damaged by the fire, has reopened.

Except for the four burnt floors, the remaining five floors of the nine-story building have resumed operations. Government officials and employees were seen starting office.

Vehicles carrying the officials and employees were permitted to enter the Secretariat since the morning.

Since the fire broke out, only advisers and secretaries were allowed to enter the Secretariat, and no other vehicles were permitted to enter.

Since the incident, law enforcement agencies had restricted entry into the 7th building, allowing access to only key officials and individuals tasked with carrying out investigation. Today, it was observed that general employees and officers are now being permitted entry.

However, access to the upper floors, above the fifth, is still restricted to officials from the Public Works Department.

The fire caused significant damage to the floors six, seven, eight, and nine of the building. These four floors have been completely destroyed. The collapsible gates on these floors have been locked, and the stairways are heavily damaged.

A devastating fire broke out early on December 25, damaging four floors of the building no. 7 of the Secretariat. These floors housed several important ministries and divisions, including the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the Local Government Division, the Ministry of Rural Development and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.