The government has formed a three-member committee to assess the damage caused by the fire that broke out at the Ministry of Water Supply on Saturday morning.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development, Prakash Man Singh, announced the formation of the committee after conducting an on-site inspection of the affected area. Senior Divisional Engineer of the Ministry of Urban Development, Ganesh Karmacharya, has been appointed as the coordinator of the committee. An under-secretary from the Ministry of Water Supply and Engineer Ganesh Pandey are members of the panel.

The committee has been tasked with evaluating the damage and recommending preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future. It has been directed to study the case and submit its report with recommendations within a week.

A fire broke out in the office of Minister for Water Supply, Pradip Yadav, on Saturday morning, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs50 million. The fire damaged two televisions, a desktop computer, a water heater, tables, sofas, chairs, carpets, and a CCTV monitor, among other office equipment.

According to Joint Secretary Ramakant Duwadi, the extent of the loss is estimated between Rs40 million to 50 million, though the exact figures are yet to be confirmed. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, and police are conducting an investigation. Some official documents in the ministry were reportedly damaged by the fire.

The fire damaged three rooms, including Minister Yadav's office. The Ministry of Water Supply shares the same building with the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.

Following an inspection of the damaged rooms, Deputy Prime Minister Singh has instructed authorities to begin immediate repairs.

In addition to assessing the damage, the newly formed committee will identify the cause of the fire and suggest preventive measures. “A committee has been formed to assess the damage, investigate the cause of the fire, and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The report is expected within a week,” said Deputy Prime Minister Singh.