Fire burns down plot files at Noida Authority’s office

Noida: A fire broke out at the Noida Authority building in Sector 6 on Monday morning, damaging the ground floor of the structure. No injuries were reported but the blaze that started from the accounts division of the building destroyed several files, including records of financial transactions of some 9,925 plots allotted over the years. Records of dues, arrears and premium were also destroyed.
Some women staffers deputed to attend calls at the Covid-19 helpline call centre noticed smoke billowing out of the accounts section around 8.30am. They alerted security guards at the entrance who tried dousing the flames with extinguishers.
But the false ceiling went up in flames within the next few minutes and local police and the fire department were alerted. The first fire team reached around 9.15 am. Since the office was shut for Eid, only a few staffers were present in the building.
The blaze was put out after about three hours.
A CBI probe is underway for the past five years and several officials are on the radar of the central agency for alleged embezzlement of funds related to a land scam. Authority officials said scanned copies of a lot of files have been stored.
Chief fire officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, Arun Kumar Singh said: “A forensic team from Ghaziabad has been called to examine the office portion.”
CEO of Noida Authority, Ritu Maheshwari, set up a six-member team, to be headed by the additional CEO, to ascertain the cause of fire. ACEO, Pravin Mishra said: “We will need some time to ascertain the cause of fire.”