VIJAYAWADA: Taking serious note of the fire accidents in the Amaravati capital city region. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the officials to unearth whether the series of fire incidents occurred accidentally or part of a larger conspiracy.
Chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the Chief Minister expressed concern over the recurring nature of the incidents and felt that the angle of conspiracy behind those incidents.
He instructed officials to examine all possible angles and bring out the facts. The review followed a fire incident at a construction site in Rayapudi, where pipes belonging to a contractor were gutted. Senior officials, including DGP Harish Kumar Gupta, Intelligence Chief Mahesh Kumar Laddha and Guntur district SP Vakul Jindal briefed the Chief Minister on the incident.
The Chief Minister sought details on the timing of the fire and the response of emergency services, and questioned how the flames spread rapidly at the site. He directed officials to rely on forensic evidence to determine the exact cause.
Noting that large-scale construction works are underway in the capital with materials worth crores stored at various locations, the Chief Minister said such incidents could create unnecessary hurdles to development activities. He instructed authorities to step up security measures, including increased patrolling in construction zones, installation of CCTV cameras at material storage yards, and deployment of private security personnel.
He also suggested the use of drone surveillance to monitor sensitive areas. The Chief Minister asked construction firms to take responsibility for safeguarding their materials and to implement strict security protocols.
He further directed officials to keep a close watch on suspicious movements and question individuals if required. Naidu said stringent action would be taken if any conspiracy or deliberate sabotage is detected.