[🇧🇩] Secretariat Fire----Indo-Awami Conspiracy

[Saif]

Adequate investigation of secretariat fire a must

THE fire that broke out in a building inside the Bangladesh secretariat early December 26, burning down offices and documents of five ministries, is unfortunate because this happened...

www.newagebd.net

Adequate investigation of secretariat fire a must
28 December, 2024, 00:00

THE fire that broke out in a building inside the Bangladesh secretariat early December 26, burning down offices and documents of five ministries, is unfortunate because this happened in the administrative headquarters of the government which should have been well guarded against such incidents. The fire broke out on the sixth floor of Building 7 and damaged the eighth and the ninth floor the most, destroying almost everything stored there, as the fire spread upwards. Nineteen fire engines took about 10 hours to completely put out the flames. The army joined in the operation. The fire broke out first in the west of the building, as witness accounts say, about 2:00am the east of the building caught fire immediately after the first fire. The offices and documents of three ministries — the posts and telecommunications, the local government, rural development and cooperatives and the youth and sports ministry — were completely burnt. Offices and documents of the labour and employment ministry and the road transport and bridges ministry were damaged. The offices of the five ministries would be temporarily relocated. The fire warrants a serious, adequate investigation. The government and its agencies have so far set up five committees to investigate the fire and the extent of damage, with the main committee set to submit a preliminary report in three days.

But allegations have already surfaced about the fire having been an act of sabotage because of the way the fire broke out at two ends of the building about the same time. The fact that the ministries — such as the posts and telecommunications, the local government, rural development and cooperatives and the road transport and bridges ministry — where corruption and embezzlement have been widely reported during the 15 years of the Awami League government, toppled in a mass uprising on August 5, having been burnt tends to lend credence to the allegations. The adviser for the local government, rural development and cooperatives ministry to the interim government also says that work continues to identify corruption and embezzlement of funds in the ministry as the evidence of embezzlement of billions of takas has already been found. As the interim government is working to identify corruption of the previous government and work out ways to stop the recurrence of such corruption, it is imperative for the government to find out whether the fire was set and, if it was so, to find out the quarters having been at play. Corruption usually leaves a trail as it cannot happen in a single place. The government should, therefore, double its efforts to collect the evidence of corruption from all other places that may have the trail and proceed with its work against corruption.

Some of the committees set up are meant to establish the extent of damage. They should also collect evidence of corruption from all other possible places. The government should, meanwhile, adequately investigate the fire to establish any element of sabotage and to hold quarters responsible for the incident to account.​

 

[Saif]

Investigation team inspects scene of Secretariat fire

Members of the investigation committee formed to probe the cause of the fire in Building No. 7 of the Secretariat have inspected the damaged building. After the inspection on Friday, Brig Gen Muhammad Jahed Kamal – director general of the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence and memb

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Investigation team inspects scene of Secretariat fire
bdnews24.com
Published :
Dec 27, 2024 16:04
Updated :
Dec 27, 2024 16:04

Members of the investigation committee formed to probe the cause of the fire in Building No. 7 of the Secretariat have inspected the damaged building.

After the inspection on Friday, Brig Gen Muhammad Jahed Kamal – director general of the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence and member secretary of the panel – said that the investigation committee has started its work.

In response to a question from the media in front of the Secretariat, he said: "We are not in a position to comment on whether the fire was sabotage or an accident. We have come to inspect the site. The matter is under observation. The rest is subject to the investigation."

Nineteen units of the Fire Service rushed to the scene after receiving a report of a fire at the Secretariat at 1:52am on Thursday. Although the fire was brought under control at 8:05am, it was completely extinguished around 11:45am.

The fire, which burnt for about 10 hours, damaged four floors of the building - the 6th, the 7th, the 8th, and the 9th.

The offices of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Road Transport and Highways Division, Ministry of Finance, Finance Division, Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Cooperatives Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Posts and Telecommunications Division and the Ministry of Youth and Sports are also located in the nine-storey bloc.

The 8th and 9th floors suffered the most damage, with most of the documents there burnt.

Due to the fire, the power supply was cut off for most of the Secretariat buildings throughout the majority of the day on Thursday. Although officials and employees went to the Secretariat, many could not enter their offices or do their work and later left. Practically, the incident brought all of the regular activities at the nerve centre of the Bangladesh administration to a halt.

Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Thursday evening, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, advisor to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and Ministry of Youth and Sports, said: “We have started the process of relocating other government departments to places where there is space to keep the programmes running. In the meantime, wherever there is space, the programmes of the ministries can be conducted temporarily for the time being.”

The government formed a high-level committee headed by a senior secretary to find out the cause and source of the fire at the Secretariat. Although a seven-member panel was initially formed, it was later dissolved. A new committee was formed and asked to submit a preliminary report within the next three days and to submit a full report “as soon as possible,” said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, on Thursday.

The committee is chaired by the senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The members are the secretary of housing and public works, the IGP of police, the director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (also the member secretary), an explosives expert from the armed forces, and three experts from BUET - a civil engineer, a chemical engineer and an electrical engineer.​

 

[Saif]

Secretariat fire: Restriction on journo’s entry temporary

After journalists expressed outrage over the decision to curb their access to the hub of bureaucracy, the home ministry yesterday stated that restricting journalists’ entry to the Secretariat was a temporary measure taken for the sake of ongoing investigations into Thursday’s fire.

www.thedailystar.net

Secretariat fire: Restriction on journo’s entry temporary
Says home ministry after journos express outrage

After journalists expressed outrage over the decision to curb their access to the hub of bureaucracy, the home ministry yesterday stated that restricting journalists' entry to the Secretariat was a temporary measure taken for the sake of ongoing investigations into Thursday's fire.

The journalists expressed their dismay on social media and a faction of Dhaka Union of Journalists termed the restriction "a threat to independent journalism".

A press release of the home ministry said a "positive decision" will be made in this regard upon discussions with the ministry of information.

Meanwhile, the chief adviser's press wing yesterday said access to the secretariat has been restricted "in view of the safety and security of the key point installation."

A devastating fire ravaged parts of Building-7 at the Secretariat complex for almost 10 hours on Thursday.

A firefighter died after being hit by a truck while carrying a hose pipe across Abdul Gani Road at the time.

According to the press wing, the government will soon review the accreditation cards issued to journalists and invite fresh applications from local and international news outlets.

According to an office order of the home ministry, a special cell has been formed at the Crime and Control Center to review applications for temporary entry passes to the Secretariat.

In another development, Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary to the chief adviser, said no journalist's press accreditation card had been cancelled following the fire.

"Some people ask the government to be tough and then create a ruckus when it becomes even slightly tough. This must stop. This double standard has started again regarding the restriction on journalists' access to the secretariat," Azad wrote on Facebook yesterday.

"It's an open secret that the Bangladesh Secretariat turned into a marketplace for middlemen. No one except those people should have any reason to be worried about the government's latest decision.

"We believe this will make journalists' jobs easier. Even though there might be temporary inconveniences, it will ultimately benefit everyone. That's why everyone's cooperation is being sought."

On Friday night, the home ministry in a media statement said entry to the secretariat for all, except the secretariat staff and government employees, was banned for an indefinite period.

Even journalists with accreditation cards will not be able to enter the building until further notice, it read.

In the interest of increasing the overall security of the secretariat, all types of temporary entry passes issued to non-government employees have been cancelled, it said.​

 

[Saif]

Secretariat fire demands answers and action

How can such a vital government establishment be so unsafe?

www.thedailystar.net

Secretariat fire demands answers and action
How can such a vital government establishment be so unsafe?

VISUAL: STAR

We are alarmed by the massive fire that ravaged parts of a nine-storey building within the Secretariat complex in Dhaka. According to a report by this daily, the fire—which broke out in the early hours of Thursday—persisted for nearly 10 hours, thus fully or partially damaging the offices of at least five ministries and divisions across multiple floors. Among the casualties were not just furniture and office equipment, but many documents and records as well. Tragically, a firefighter also died while setting up hose pipes as he was run over by a truck before traffic to the area was closed. The incident has naturally shocked many, as it lays bare the lack of security in one of the country's most important public infrastructures.

The question is, was this merely a result of electrical malfunctions, or was there something more sinister? Since the incident, a number of theories have surfaced as officials and the public try to wrap their head around what happened. One theory that is making the rounds at present is a suspicion of foul play, fuelled particularly by Adviser Asif Mahmud's revelation that evidence of significant financial irregularities was among the lost documents. The student platform that spearheaded the July uprising also called the incident "an act of sabotage," while Bangladesh Administrative Service Association hinted at deliberate arson—allegedly orchestrated by corrupt bureaucrats linked with Awami League to derail ongoing reform efforts and destabilise the government. However, calmer heads within the administration want to wait before pointing fingers as investigations are underway.

Regardless of the suspicions floating around, one thing that we can say with certainty is that there were lapses in fire security that contributed to the catastrophe. Reports reveal that firefighting efforts at the Secretariat complex were hindered by significant logistical challenges both outside and within the building, delaying firefighters' response and efforts. We also need to talk about why, in this day and age, a digital record-keeping system that could minimise the loss of important records remains underutilised. This may be a testament to the corruption and inefficiencies that plagued the previous regime's digitisation drive, but a transition to digital archiving and communications should have been a priority for the interim government. Going forward, we must address these safety issues to safeguard critical infrastructure and information.

As we await the findings of investigations, which we expect the probe committees will deliver as soon as possible, it is vital that the authorities learn from this latest setback for the administration that is already struggling amid protracted unrest over civil service reforms and decisions surrounding promotions and placements. The Secretariat also must review security protocols thoroughly and adopt robust fire safety measures. Whether the fire was a result of conspiracy or complacency, it has exposed vulnerabilities that cannot be taken lightly. We must prevent a repeat of such incidents in the future.​

 

[Saif]

Secretariat fire: Five ministries resume work at new locations today

Uncertainty and fear have gripped officers and employees as offices of the five ministries, hit by a devastating fire past week, are scheduled to resume their work at new locations on a temporary basis from today.

www.newagebd.net

Secretariat fire: Five ministries resume work at new locations today
Staff Correspondent 29 December, 2024, 00:54

Uncertainty and fear have gripped officers and employees as offices of the five ministries, hit by a devastating fire past week, are scheduled to resume their work at new locations on a temporary basis from today.

Advisers to some of the ministries said that they would resume their work upon recovering documents from central server system and departments under the secretariat.

Environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told New Age on Saturday that they were expecting that the high-powered eight-member committee to trace the source and cause of the fire would submit a preliminary report on the fire incident.

‘If the report is conclusive we will share it with you,’ she said, adding, ‘If it requires further investigation then the preliminary report will not be shared.’

The committee was formed at an urgent meeting called by the chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday after a fire broke out in Building No 7 at the secretariat, the administrative headquarters of the government in the capital, gutting offices and documents of five ministries earlier that day.

From today also journalists’ entry into the secretariat using their accreditation cards has been suspended and all temporary entry passes for people in different categories have been cancelled due to safety and security concerns following the fire incident.

The government would soon review the existing press accreditation cards and invite fresh applications from all local and international news outlets to issue new accreditation cards, the chief adviser’s press wing in a statement said on Saturday.

No case was filed in this regard yet.

The offices of posts and telecommunications adviser Nahid Islam and local government, rural development and co-operatives and youth and sports adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan were located on the two sides of the building and gutted in the fire.

Along with the offices and documents of these three ministries offices and documents of the two other ministries — labour and employment, and road transport and bridges — were also gutted in the incident.

Retired brigadier general M Sakhawat Hussain, adviser to the labour and employment ministry, told New Age that his office in the building 7 was not affected in the fire.

According to the ministry officials, the affected ministries would be relocated to the Sramo Bhaban today where they would start work.

Replying to a question on resuming works without documents and logistic supports, Sakhawat Hussain said that at the secretariat all ministries were connected with a central server.

He said that after going to his office tomorrow and seeing everything he could say how they would resume their regular work.

Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the road transport and bridges, railways and power ministries, told New Age that 10 rooms at Rail Bhaban were being allocated for the Road Transport and Highways Division secretary and additional secretary level officials.

‘They will start office from there tomorrow,’ he said, adding, ‘The rest of the officials and employees will do offices at the DTCA Bhaban in the capital.’

He said that they would recover the documents which were sent to the ministry from different departments under it and would work on these.

In a press release, issued by the local government ministry on Saturday, adviser Asif Mahmud said that from today the ministry would start doing official work in the vacant rooms in the Dhaka South City Corporation Nagar Bhaban.

‘Conspiracy to disrupt the ongoing people-friendly development activities of the ministry and to destroy the information of the corruption of the past fascist era will not be allowed to implement,’ he said, instructing all officials to speed up the activities of the ministry with more determination than before.

Youth and sports ministry public relations officer Md Nur Alam said that a decision was taken that affected officials of the ministry would be relocated to the National Sports Council from today.

The adviser would work from the DSCC Nagar Bhaban, he added.

The Posts and Telecommunications Division, under the posts, telecommunications and information technology ministry, deputy secretary Mohammad Moklesur Rahman said that the affected ministry officials would be relocated to the General Post Office from today while the adviser Nahid Islam would work from the information and broadcasting ministry in the secretariat.

The home affairs ministry on Friday night issued a press release which said that the government suspended journalists’ entry into the secretariat using their accreditation cards and cancelled all temporary entry passes for common people to increase the overall security measures in the secretariat area.

It said that the temporary secretariat entry passes—except for those issued to government officials and employees working in the Secretariat—had been cancelled.

On Saturday, in a statement the chief adviser’s press wing said that the decision to restrict journalists’ access to the secretariat was taken in view of the safety and security of the Key Point Installation.

‘In the meantime, temporary daily access cards will be issued by respective ministries for any press events,’ it continued.​

 

[Saif]

Work disrupted at 5 fire-hit ministries

Routine works of the five ministries affected by a fire in the past week were disrupted on Sunday as their offices at new locations were yet to be ready.

www.newagebd.net

Work disrupted at 5 fire-hit ministries
Staff Correspondent 29 December, 2024, 17:06

Routine works of the five ministries affected by a fire in the past week were disrupted on Sunday as their offices at new locations were yet to be ready.

Repairing and construction works continued on the day at several offices temporarily allocated for the offices and staff of the five ministries.

Security measures at the secretariat were beefed up and even journalists were not allowed to enter the secretariat on Sunday.

Journalists Information and broadcasting adviser Nahid Islam at a briefing said that the home ministry would issue temporary passes from today for journalists assigned to cover the secretariat.

The eight-member committee, formed on December 26 to probe into the fire incident, is scheduled for today to submit a preliminary report to chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today, said chief adviser’s deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.

A fire broke out in Building 7 at the secretariat, the administrative headquarters of the government, in the capital on early December 26, burning offices and documents of five ministries –– the local government, rural development and co-operatives ministry, the post and telecommunication ministry, te youth and sports ministry, the labour and employment ministry and the road transport and bridges ministry.

No case was filed for the incident yet.

In a release issued by the local government ministry on Saturday, adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain said that from Sunday the ministry would start official works in the vacant rooms in the Dhaka South City Corporation Nagar Bhaban.

In the Nagar Bhaban, the 13th and 14th floors and one side of the 12th floor have been allocated for the ministry.

On Sunday noon, no ministry officials were seen working at the offices.

Some of the empty rooms were seen with fresh painting while some were awaiting painting.

Workers were seen repairing the rooms and doing other construction works.

One of the workers said that it would take at least one week to fix these rooms.

According to a ministry decision, 10 rooms at Rail Bhaban were allocated for the Road Transport and Highways Division secretary and additional secretaries while the rest of the officials and employees were scheduled to resume work at the DTCA Bhaban in the capital.

Only the room for the senior secretary Md Ehsanul Haque was prepared at the Rail Bhaban where construction works found to continue Sunday noon.

The senior secretary did not come to the office on Sunday.

Some of the officials were seen sitting inside the empty rooms and talking with each other.

Construction materials were seen all over at these two buildings.

Labour and employment ministry public relation officer Abdul Malek said that the rooms were yet to be allocated among the ministry officials at the Sramo Bhaban on Sunday.

Posts and Telecommunications Division deputy secretary Mohammad Moklesur Rahman said that the affected ministry officials had resumed their work at the General Post Office.

Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha reported that the government would start issuing temporary passes for journalists from today to enter the secretariat.

‘Information and broadcasting ministry is re-evaluating the accreditation cards …New permanent or temporary accreditation cards and passes will be issued soon,’ said an official handout on Sunday.

All vehicles but the cars carrying the advisers, secretaries and chiefs of different departments are being barred from entering the secretariat, official sources said.

The officers and employees having their offices at the secretariat were allowed to enter showing their permanent identity card.

The home ministry introduced separate booths on Abdul Gani Road for visitors for emergency needs.

At a briefing in front of State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka on Sunday, chief adviser’s deputy press secretary Azad Majumder said that no accreditation cards of the journalists had been cancelled.

‘Right now the secretariat is a crime scene and the government is conducting the probe with the highest importance,’ he said, adding that access to the secretariat was restricted to protect the crime scene.

Replying to a question, Azad Majumder said that the chief adviser would decide if the preliminary probe report would be shared with the media or not and right now it could not be said for sure how many days would be required to complete the entire probe.

The government would review the accreditation cards to cancel the cards of the people who were not journalists, he added.

The briefing was attended, among others, by press secretary Shafiqul Alam.

A firefighter was killed and four others were injured in a road accident during operations to extinguish the fire.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna zone additional deputy commissioner Mir Asaduzzaman told New Age that a case was under process for the death.

Earlier, a general diary was filed in this incident with the Shahbagh police station on Friday, he added.​

 

[Saif]

Fire-hit secretariat building repairable

The fire-affected building 7 at the Bangladesh Secretariat is repairable according to a primary assessment of the Public Works Department while the committee formed to investigate the fire on...

www.newagebd.net

Fire-hit secretariat building repairable
Staff Correspondent 31 December, 2024, 01:36

The fire-affected building 7 at the Bangladesh Secretariat is repairable according to a primary assessment of the Public Works Department while the committee formed to investigate the fire on December 26 is scheduled for today to submit its preliminary report to the chief adviser.

Senior secretary to the home ministry Nasimul Gani, also the head of the eight-member committee, said on Monday that the committee was asked to submit the preliminary report by Monday but he obtained permission from the Cabinet Division to submit it today.

Nasimul also said that some of the evidence would be sent abroad for laboratory tests as Bangladesh did not have the capacity to test those evidence.

The evidence to be sent abroad are fire-related materials, he added.

The housing and public works ministry said that the affected building 7 was repairable as per their primary observation and after a full assessment it could be said when it would become usable again in its entirety.

Some journalists were allowed to enter the secretariat in the capital on Monday amid restrictions on entry of others.

Repairing and construction works continued on Monday at several offices temporarily allocated for the five fire-hit ministries.

A fire broke out in the building at the secretariat, the administrative headquarters of the government, on early December 26, burning offices and documents of five ministries –– the local government, rural development and co-operatives ministry, the post and telecommunication ministry, the youth and sports ministry, the labour and employment ministry and the road transport and bridges ministry.

The fire spread from the 6th floor to the 9th floor of the building. The building is now sealed off for all but the people involved in the probe.

Nasimul Gani told reporters at the secretariat that primarily the committee was asked to submit a preliminary report by Monday while he took permission from the Cabinet Division for the extension of the timeframe.

He mentioned that different teams of the police, the Public Works Department and the Information and Communication Technology Division were collecting evidence separately from the spot even on Monday.

‘Some evidence will be tested tonight,’ he said, adding, ‘after that we will sit again tomorrow [Tuesday] and will reach a conclusion on the preliminary report.’

Nasimul said that they were expecting to submit the report by 5:00pm on Tuesday.

The results of the laboratory tests of evidence which would be sent abroad would be included in the final report, he said, adding that they were trying to complete the probe as soon as possible.

Public Works Department deputy assistant engineer Md Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan also talked to journalists on the day while visiting the building 7.

He said that there were 40–50 rooms in each of the floors while some floors were entirely and some were partially damaged.

The floors which were partially damaged would become usable within a week while after a full assessment it could be ascertained how many days would be needed to repair the heavily damaged parts, Mannan continued.

The affected offices were relocated at different departments temporarily

The home ministry on December 27 suspended journalists’ entry into the secretariat using their accreditation cards and cancelled all temporary entry passes for general people due to security concerns.

Information and broadcasting adviser Nahid Islam at a briefing said that the home ministry would issue temporary passes from Monday for journalists assigned to cover the secretariat.

Following these, some journalists were allowed to the secretariat at about 2:00pm on Monday.

The usual busy scenario inside the secretariat was absent on the day as no vehicles but the cars carrying officials of the ranks of additional secretary and above were allowed inside.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police in an order, issued on Sunday, transferred deputy commissioner M Tanvir Ahmed, who was in the security division of the secretariat, to the south division.

Mohammad Billal Hossain, deputy commissioner, was given the responsibility of security division at the secretariat.

A firefighter was killed and four others were injured in a road accident during operations to extinguish the fire.​

 

[Saif]

No documents from five ministries were burnt in Secretariat fire, says probe chief

Nasimul Gani, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and head of the high-level investigation committee formed to probe the fire at the Secretariat, has confirmed that no documents from five ministries were burned in the incident. He said that while there were concerns about the potentia

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

No documents from five ministries were burnt in Secretariat fire, says probe chief
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Dec 31, 2024 20:35
Updated :
Dec 31, 2024 20:40

Nasimul Gani, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and head of the high-level investigation committee formed to probe the fire at the Secretariat, has confirmed that no documents from five ministries were burned in the incident.

He said that while there were concerns about the potential loss of important documents in the fire, in reality, no documents were harmed. The fire did not reach the areas where the ministries' documents are stored.

Gani shared this information during a press briefing in front of the Jamuna State Guesthouse on Tuesday evening (December 31).

The head of the investigation committee further informed that committee members had visited various ministries and confirmed that no documents had been burned.

He also mentioned that each ministry is individually inspecting whether any important documents were damaged. Additionally, the ministries are separately assessing the extent of the damage to their offices.

Regarding the total financial loss caused by the fire at the Secretariat, Gani said that the exact figure is not yet known.​

 

[Saif]

SECRETARIAT FIRE: Affected ministry committees start assessing damage

Committees formed by different affected ministries to probe the December 26 fire at the Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital Dhaka started to assess the damage caused by the fire on Monday, 11 days after the incident...

www.newagebd.net

SECRETARIAT FIRE: Affected ministry committees start assessing damage
Staff Correspondent 06 January, 2025, 23:26

New Age file photo

Committees formed by different affected ministries to probe the December 26 fire at the Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital Dhaka started to assess the damage caused by the fire on Monday, 11 days after the incident.

Members of different committees were allowed to enter the affected four floors (5th to 8th) of the damaged Building 7 on the day.

The members said that they were not sure when they would submit the reports.

On Sunday, the first five floors of the damaged building were opened for offices after the fire incident.

The fire that broke out at the Building 7 at the secretariat, the administrative headquarters of the government, early December 26, 2024 burned offices and documents of five ministries –– local government, rural development and co-operatives, posts and telecommunications, youth and sports, labour and employment and road transport and bridges.

The fire spread from the 5th floor to the 8th floor of the building with each floor having 40–50 rooms. The affected offices were relocated temporarily to different departments.

A high-powered committee, formed on December 26 to probe the fire incident, in its preliminary report on December 31 said that a loose electrical connection caused the fire and the probe body did not find involvement of any person in the incident.

Soon after the incident different affected ministries formed probe committees mainly to prepare lists of important documents and records damaged, assess the losses of property such as furniture, electronic devices and others, find out the reasons of the fire and submit reports with the findings and recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.

‘Our committee members today have got access to the damaged part of the building where our office was located,’ road transport and bridges ministry adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan told New Age on Monday.

He mentioned that as the members could not enter the building till Monday, they could not start assessing damage that occurred to the offices of the Road Transport and Highways Division situated on the 8th floor.

‘The committee will submit a report within five working days,’ the adviser added.

On December 26, the labour ministry formed two separate committees and asked the committees to submit their reports within seven working days.

Begum Morsheda Akter, joint secretary at the ministry and the head of one of the committees, said that they got permission to enter the building’s damaged parts on Monday and started the assessment of the damage and losses.

She said that they would set the date of submitting the reports after discussing the matter with senior officials.

On the day of the fire, the local government ministry formed two separate probe committees without mentioning any dates for the submission of reports.

Local Government Division additional secretary AKM Tariqul Alam, convener of one of the committees, said that their committee also started assessing the damage in the building on Monday.

After gathering information on the damage, they would submit the report, he added.

Mohammad Shafiul Arif, Rural Development and Co-operatives Division additional secretary, convener of another committee, said that after conducting assessment works, which started on Monday, they would submit the report to the division.​