5-member panel to probe directorate of education fire

Prayagraj: Following the major fire in the main building (stone building) of the Directorate of Education at Prayagraj on Sunday morning, the state govt has constituted a 5-member committee to probe the causes of the blaze.

The high-level committee would be headed by the secretary, secondary education, Govt of Uttar Pradesh and include the director of education (secondary) UP, additional district magistrate, Prayagraj, chief fire officer, Prayagraj, and a senior officer nominated by the director (higher education) as other members.

The committee will submit its investigation report/recommendation before the additional chief secretary, Deepak Kumar, within 15 days. The fire broke out in the building of the Directorate of Education (Shiksha Nideshalaya), Patthar Building, on Sunday morning in which several important files were gutted.

CFO (Prayagraj) RK Pandey told TOI that the fire control room on Sunday morning received information that a major fire broke out in room numbers 14 and 15 of the building.

"Upon being alerted, fire tenders were immediately pressed into service to control the fire," he said, adding that no injuries were reported in the incident as the office was closed on Sunday.