Minor fire breaks out in sensitive section of Kerala secretariat

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A minor fire broke out at the government secretariat on Tuesday evening. The fire apparently from an electrical short circuit, broke out in the sensitive general administration department (political) section that handles many sensitive files including the ones relating to UAE consulate, gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh and chief minister’s former secretary M Sivasankar.
The sensitive GAD (political) section is situated in the north sandwich block of the secretariat, in the floor where water resources minister K Krishnankutty’s office is also located. It is learnt that some of the files dealing with allocation in the government guest houses, and bundles of government orders are among those that have been burnt in the fire. The fire broke around 4.30pm. None of the officials were present in the section on Tuesday, after one of the senior officials of the department who sits close to the section was tested positive for Covid-19. Since all the officials in the section were his primary contacts, the approximately 10 officials in the section and also those in the tourism department section next to the GAD (political) section were asked to go on quarantine.
“A couple of days ago, one of the fans installed in the section was found to be faulty, and though it was repaired, it still had some problems. The spark apparently erupted from the electrical connection to the fan that quickly spread on to the files kept nearby,” sources said. The fire and rescue team from the station nearby the secretariat quickly swung into action and doused the fire. The section handles all the sensitive matters relating to protocol, that includes the dealings with the foreign missions and with the Centre on certain matters. The protocol section handles all the programs during the visit of foreign dignitaries, dignities from the Centre including the President and the Prime Minister.
The National Investigation Agency that is probing whether the key accused in gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh had close connections with anyone else in the state government other than M Sivasankar, had sought for the video footage of CCTVs from the GAD. Also, customs had recently sought the details from the state protocol officer regarding the number of times that diplomatic parcels have been received in the state in the last two years, in connection with the gold smuggling probe.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala sought an inquiry into the matter and said that it is a deliberate attempt to destroy the evidence in the gold smuggling case, with the knowledge of the chief minister. BJP state president K Surendran said that the fire was an organised attempt to destroy the files relating to the gold smuggling case.