Mantralaya fire: Structural audit, ban on visitors announced

Efforts on seeking information about structural audit of the Mantralaya building, where a massive blaze gutted several offices on Friday, will take place on Thursday morning, Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said.

Efforts on seeking information about structural audit of the Mantralaya building, where a massive blaze gutted several offices on Friday, will take place on Thursday morning, Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said.

"Tomorrow, no visitor will be allowed in Mantralaya," Chavan told reporters in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

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Altogether 16 persons were injured in the incident, he said, adding that "there are no reports of anyone being killed in today's incident. No one was found trapped in any of the 14 lifts in the building".

"Video recording of the entire buildings will take place. Senior officials, including secretaries, will inspect the damage," the chief minister said.

No official work will be carried out in Mantralaya on Friday, and all meetings scheduled have been cancelled, he said.

Some ministry offices that were damaged in the fire will be shifted to Vidhan Bhawan and Sahyadri Guest House or the Mantralaya annexe, he said.

"Tomorrow, the offices will be open. Saturday and Sunday being holidays, officials will be called as per requirement," he said.

The "orderly" evacuation of thousands of people from the building could be attributed to the fire drill that takes place in Mantralaya on second Saturday of every month, he said.