Fire breaks out in basement of Gujarat Secretariat block; govt says digital records remain secure
Gandhinagar, Aug 10
A fire broke out in the basement of Block No. 9 at Sardar Bhavan in Gujarat's New Secretariat complex in Gandhinagar on Monday, damaging some physical government records but leaving administrative work unaffected, officials said on Monday.
Standby fire brigade teams were rushed to the building after the incident was reported and brought the fire under control. Officials said the situation had subsequently returned to normal and remained under control.
No casualties or injuries were reported as per the clarification issued by the state government.
Block No. 9 houses offices of the Narmada, Water Resources, Water Supply and Kalpsar Department, the Women and Child Development Department and the State Election Commission.
The fire was confined to the basement, where physical government records were stored.
Some of those records sustained partial damage in the incident. However, the Water Resources Division said there had been no loss of important, sensitive or confidential records belonging to the division.
The department attributed this to the state government's e-Sarkar system, under which government files and records have been scanned and preserved digitally as part of its "Good Governance" initiative.
It said the digitally preserved records remained secure despite the damage to the physical documents.
"Therefore, the Water Resources Division officially clarifies that no important, sensitive or confidential government records of the Division have been destroyed in the incident," the department said in its note.
"As all data is securely preserved in digital form, citizen services and the administrative functioning of the offices will continue uninterrupted, with no disruption to regular operations," it added.
The government has not, in the information available so far, stated the cause of the fire or provided an estimate of the extent or value of the physical records damaged.
The immediate response, however, brought the basement fire under control and officials said the functioning of the departments housed in the block would continue as usual.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good that the fire was controlled quickly. But why are physical records still stored in basements? Shouldn't they be in fireproof cabinets or fully digitized by now? Hope the government investigates the cause thoroughly and takes preventive measures.
This is exactly why Digital India is so important. Even if physical documents get damaged, our data stays safe. Kudos to the Gujarat government for the e-Sarkar initiative. But we must also ensure fire safety standards are not compromised in government buildings.
No casualties is the most important thing. But I'm concerned—the government hasn't given a reason for the fire yet. Transparency is needed. Also, what about the departments that don't have digital backups? Let's not be complacent.
This shows the importance of moving towards paperless offices. In the long run, it saves time, space, and protects records. However, we must also have robust backup systems and fire safety protocols in place. 😊
Great response by the emergency teams. It's reassuring that digital records remained secure. But let's not forget the physical records that were damaged—some might be irreplaceable. Hope the authorities conduct a full audit and improve storage conditions.
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