Mantralaya fire: Death toll rises to 3, CM to hold special cabinet meeting

A special meeting of Maharashtra cabinet will be held today to review the situation in the aftermath of the massive fire that engulfed the state secretariat.

A special meeting of Maharashtra cabinet will be held on Friday to review the situation in the aftermath of the massive fire that engulfed the state secretariat. The death toll in the major fire that swept the Maharashtra Mantralaya or secretariat here rose to three, an official of the city disaster control said. While two dead bodies were recovered late Thursday evening, another was found Friday morning from the building, the official said.

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Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who has announced a crime branch probe into the incident, will chair the meeting to be held at Vidhan Bhawan, CM's PRO Aniruddh Ashtaputre, who was among those injured in the incident, said.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar visited Mantralaya this morning and reviewed the work in progress to cool off the seven-storeyed building.

The cooling process is expected to take two days.

Offices of various departments located on fourth, fifth and sixth floors damaged in the fire would be shifted to Vidhan Bhawan and Sahyadri Guest house, Chavan said.

Pawar told reporters at Mantralaya that the chief minister's office on the sixth floor had remained comparatively unscathed by the fire which had gutted nearby offices.

The Cabinet is expected to review the preparation for the monsoon session of the state Legislature, scheduled to begin on July 9. The session may even be postponed, if needed, an official said.