Fire breaks out at GST Bhavan, important documents damaged

Fire broke out at the GST Bhaban in Mazgaon causing damage to the several important documents of the Department of Goods and Services Tax and files related to the appellate authority. An investigation into the incident has been ordered by the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

At around 12.35 p.m., the fire broke out on the ninth floor of GST Bhavan at Maharana Pratap Chowk. According to the fire brigade officials, the flames spread to the eighth and part of the 10th floor and it was brought under control by 3.30 p.m. However, the cause of the fire has not been ascertained by the officials.

“People on the ninth floor were evacuated by firefighters and PWD officials. The staircase was clear and therefore, people on the upper floors could climb down as the electricity was cut off,” an employee at GST Bhavan said.

“As soon as the fire broke out, the in-house firemen started evacuating people. By the time, the fire engines had reached the spot, and all the people were evacuated. There was no report of anyone trapped. Around 120 firemen were deployed and no injuries or casualties were reported,” Mr. Rahangdale said.

Additional Chief Secretary (finance), Manoj Sunik, said, “We will probe what led to the fire but at the same time check if permissions for renovations were in place or not. A report on the loss of the documentation will be arrived in the next 48 hours.”