Election Commission probe confirms basement fire caused Tk 37.7 million damage

An Election Commission investigation committee has found that an electric short-circuit triggered the fire in the basement of its headquarters in Dhaka’s Agargaon.

The fire incident caused the EC damage worth over Tk 37.7 million, the committee has confirmed.

The affected place was used to keep electronic voting machines or EVMs.

Additional Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman briefed the media after submitting the report to Secretary Md Alamgir on Thursday.

Inspection of the site, accounts of witnesses and firefighters, and CCTV camera footage pointed to electric short-circuit as the reason behind the fire on Sunday night, Mokhlesur, who headed the four-member committee, said.

The materials damaged in the fire include 59 EVM control units, 47 batteries, 789 ballots, 1,233 monitors, and nine air-conditioners, coverings of floors, walls and ceilings. 

In order to prevent recurrence of such fire and avoid damage, the committee recommended ensuring effectiveness of force ventilation system, round-the-clock CCTV surveillance of technologically sensitive rooms, using high quality wire and electric equipment like plugs and sockets, and checking electric and fire safety systems every six months.