PWD, National Disaster Management Authority certify gutted state building

MUMBAI: Experts from the PWD and the NDMA carried out structural audits of the iconic Maharashtra state secretariat building, which was gutted in a fire last week. Following the audit the state announced that the restoration of the top floors gutted in fire will be completed in the next six to seven months.
Nearly 30% of the total building area was destroyed in the fire on the top four floors of the buildings.According to officials of the state government, a team led by IIT professor Ravi Sinha and other experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) undertook a rapid structural safety audit. The teams was of the opinion that no major structural damage has been caused to the structure of the building which still remains sound and safe. "All structural columns and beams are safe," the teams said.
According to officials the building will require some basic touch up and the initial treatment will involve re-electrification, removal of newly added steel structures on the seventh floor, inclusion of fire safety features like fire resistant coating to partitions electrical ducts and insertion of concrete blocks between office spaces to stop spread of future fire, said officials. "Following this the building could still be made habitable," said a senior state official.