Fire incidents in Kerala raising eyebrows

Opposition Congress had then staged strong a protest, especially since CM Vijayan’s office also faced allegations regarding gold and dollar smuggling

Fire events in Kerala have sparked interest and suspicion over the years, as they have corresponded with claims against the relevant institutions and agencies.

The latest fire at Kerala Medicinal Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) godowns occurred as Lok Ayukta investigates claims of medicinal purchases made under Covid. Previously, two fires were recorded in the government secretariat. The March fire at Kochi’s Brahmapuram garbage yard sparked sabotage suspicions.

The first suspicious fire occurred in August 2020. On August 25, a fire broke out at the general administration department’s political branch at the government headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. It occurred shortly after the National Investigation Agency and other probe agencies sought diplomatic baggage-related records from that area to probe into gold smuggling involving UAE consulate staff.

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The Opposition Congress had then staged strong a protest, especially since Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office also faced allegations regarding gold and dollar smuggling.

A recent fire near the industries minister’s office in the secretariat incidentally coincided with allegations over subcontracting a Rs 230 crore project for installing artificial intelligence-based surveillance cameras systems by Keltron, an agency under the industries department. The fire broke out at the office of the additional private secretary to the industries minister on May 9.

While overheating of a fan was stated as the reason for the 2020 fire incident, the air-conditioner was blamed for the recent fire. In both incidents, the official versions were that no files were damaged.

The fire at the Brahmapuram garbage yard in Kochi in March that lasted for days had also raised many eyebrows. There were allegations that private agencies run by persons associated with some political leaders that were awarded the work for garbage treatment had set fire to the garbage heaps as they could not meet the commitments to treat the waste. The probe to find the cause of the fire remains inconclusive.