All arrangements are in place to shift the Colombo District Secretariat Office (Kachcheri) which was destroyed by fire on Monday night to a building complex in Thimbirigasyaya, Narahenpita within the next four months after completing construction of the new complex, Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W.D.J.Seneviratne said.
The minister was addressing a special press briefing held at the Sri Lanka Institution of Development Administration (SLIDA), yesterday.
The Accounts Division, Administration Division, Planning Division, Documents Division and the stores werecompletely damaged by the fire and the work of these divisions have already recommenced in the District Secretariat Office's auditorium.
"The Colombo Divisional Secretariat Office, Firecrackers License Division, Pensions Division, Samurdhi Division, Census Division and all other divisions are functioning as usual. Persons willing to have copies of their birth,marriage certificates and land deeds can be obtain from their District Secretariat Offices, " Minister Seneviratne said.
"Only the Server Machine of the District Secretariat has broken down due to the fire which caused a temporary disruption to the procedure of issuing birth, marriage and death certificates from Divisional Secretariat offices. The situation is expected to return to normal in two three weeks", he said.
"We hope to assess the damage caused by the fire once we receive the final report of the Govt Analyst's Department. All documents of the Engineering Division were not affected by the fire,while lots of other documents too were saved from the fire," Colombo District Secretary H.T.Kamal Padmasiri said.
"The minister has decided to appoint a special expert committee to conduct investigations at ministerial level. The Police Department,
Colombo Crime Division and Crime Investigation Department have launched a joint investigation to find out the reason for the fire," an official said.
