Sources, meanwhile, told DNA that the building's NOC had not been renewed by the Fire department.
Panic spread in and around the upscale Khan Market area on Monday evening after a major fire broke out in the multi-storeyed Lok Nayak Bhawan, which houses a number of important government offices. It took the fire personnel more than two hours to douse the flames. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Sources, meanwhile, told DNA that the building's NOC had not been renewed by the Fire department.
According to the officials, the fire broke out around 4 pm on the fourth floor of the building, in the office of Income Tax Settlement Commission. The building also houses offices of Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Income Tax (I-T), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), among other important government offices.
Chief Fire Officer of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), Atul Garg, told DNA that they received a call regarding the blaze at 4.01 pm and 10 fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot.
"Looking at the magnitude of fire and the fact that the building houses important government offices, more tenders were pressed into service. The blaze was contained with the help of over 20 tenders at 6.25 pm but the cooling work went on for few more hours," he said.
The fire broke out during the office hours and the building had 100s of occupants at the time. They were evacuated by the building security and other officers. PCR vans and ambulances also arrived on the spot within minutes.
Garg said, by the time the fire tenders arrived, most occupants had been brought out safely and the rest were evacuated by firefighters. "No casualties or injuries were reported. We had arrived fully prepared. A fire lift had also been rushed in to rescue people. The office on the fourth floor has been completely gutted," he said.
Sources in Fire department confirmed to DNA that the building did not have a renewed NOC from the DFS. When queried, Garg said the matter is being looked into and necessary action will be taken.
Police are also investigating the sabotage angle and the CCTV footage from the building is being checked to ascertain if any unauthorised person had entered the building at the time of incident. Prima facie, short-circuit seems to be the reason behind the blaze.
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