BERHAMPUR: Mystery shrouds the fire incident at WATCO office within the premises of the public health office in Berhampur on Tuesday. The blaze reportedly originated in a locked room housing crucial documents and files. While a lot of files were reduced to ashes, the almirah, table, and even plastic chairs remained untouched. The fire, believed to have started around 3 am, was noticed when smoke billowed from the room by some onlookers. On being informed, fire fighters reached the spot and doused the flames.
However, officials from WATCO arrived hours after the incident and allegedly restricted media access to the site. The exact cause of the fire has not been ascertained though electric short circuit is suspected to be the reason. WATCO general manager Bikash Padhy stated that investigation is underway to ascertain the cause, and efforts are being made to identify the nature of the documents destroyed. WATCO has faced allegations of large-scale irregularities, with the AG office detecting various discrepancies during last year’s audit. Social worker Sanyasi Gouda alleged, “The fire was an attempt to cover up these irregularities by destroying relevant documents. An impartial inquiry into the incident can uncover the truth.”