Tardeo RTO fire: Most docs backed up online, driving tests likely to continue elsewhere
Visuals from Tardeo RTO (Courtesy: Daily World)
Several documents, computer hardware, office furniture and other items were destroyed in a fire at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Mumbai’s Tardeo area early morning on Sunday.
Fire-fighters took nearly three hours to douse the Level III blaze that erupted at the RTO in Tardeo area of south Mumbai.
The blaze destroyed the electric wiring, licence and other documents, furniture, computers, printers and other items in 15 to 20 cabins on the RTO’s ground floor, which primarily housed the learner’s license section.
No one was injured in the fire as the premises were empty when the blaze broke out.
“No casualties were reported in the mishap. However, several documents pertaining to the licence department were gutted,” a fire brigade official said.
The fire brigade control room received the information about the blaze at the RTO at 5.20 am. Eight fire fighting engines and two water tankers were rushed to the spot. The fire was extinguished around 8.10 am.
Officials said that the situation could have been much worse if the fire had spread further in the direction of the nearby CNG filling station.
An investigation was on to ascertain the cause of the fire, the official said, adding that RTO officials were assessing the loss incurred due to the blaze.
While the blaze destroyed several files, most of which contained age/address proofs, no critical data was lost as backups of all documents are stored in a seperate server, confirmed Subash Pedamkar, Regional Transport Officer, Tardeo.
Meanwhile, the entire department is working on making arrangements to ensure that the learners’ license application process remains unaffected by the mishap.
The exams, for the 400 plus applicants who visit the premises every day, will most likely be conducted on a different block for the next few days.
Further, efforts for arranging new equipment like computers biometric scanners, furniture from other government departments is also underway.
Three years back, a similar fire had broken out in the section right next to the one that went up in flames on Sunday. The structure is yet to be rebuilt.
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