Dhaka: The buildings at secretariat, constructed by the Public Works Department, face no fire risk, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said Monday.

‘All the buildings inside the Secretariat have necessary circuit breakers,’ he said, briefing reporters after the day’s regular Cabinet meeting, reports the UNB.

Thirty-nine percent of all the fire incidents reported in Bangladesh last year were sparked by electric short-circuits, according to the Fire Service.

Alam’s comments came days after a devastating fire at a Banani commercial building killed 26 people last month. In late February, a fire at a chemical warehouse in Old Dhaka left 71 people dead.

Urban experts said around 18 million people in and around Dhaka were exposed to fires and earthquakes because of building code violation and ignoring safety issues during construction of high-rises.

Secretary Alam said the office of the Prime Minister in building-1 has been shifted as it faces earthquake risk. But he noted that people working at the Secretariat will have adequate time to evacuate in the event of an earthquake.

‘We’ll hold a meeting with stakeholders to discuss and review earthquake and other risk at Secretariat buildings,’ he said.

Secretary Alam said the design of a 20-storey building, to be constructed in the compound, is at its final stage. ‘It’ll have modern facilities to keep it free from all sorts of risks,’ he said.