By IANS,
Guwahati : A major fire Wednesday gutted a portion of the old Assam secretariat building, completely razing to ground the offices of the ministers of irrigation, food and civil supplies, and sericulture, besides the State Information Commission, officials said.
“The fire completely gutted a major portion of the old secretariat complex that had offices of three ministers and the main office of the State Information Commission. Several important files have been set ablaze,” Assam Revenue Minister Bhumidhar Barman said.
More than 20 fire tenders took about four hours to douse the flames.
“We believe it was due to a short circuit owing to some faulty electrical connection,” the minister said.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi ordered a magisterial probe into the fire.
The fire broke out around 6 p.m. and was finally brought under control late Wednesday.
The Chief Minister’s Office and offices of most other ministers are located in a new complex adjacent to the old secretariat building.