Rajeev Chandrasekhar's official website - Member of Parliament

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Ministry of Finance
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2988
TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY 7TH DECEMBER, 2010/ AGRAHAYANA 16, 1932 (SAKA)
Incident of fire at DRI Headquarter

 

2988: SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that a fire at the Headquarter of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on 2nd  September, 2010 had destroyed sensitive electronic data on financial frauds and records pertaining to trapped conversations, including some politically sensitive cases:

(b)  if so, the details thereof;

(c)  whether a probe was ordered into the fire incident to find out the causes of the fire;

(d)  if so, the details thereof;

(e) the total damage/loss suffered by the department; and

(f) whether there is a possibility of involvement of an insider as nothing of the stored intercepted data could be saved while all the computers in the so-called secret from were damaged due to the fire?

ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(SHRI S.S.PALANIMANICKAM)

(a)  No fire incident took place on 2nd September, 2010 in the Headquarters of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. However, on 31-08-2010 a fire incident did take place in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Headquarters Office. No loss of any data or records was caused in the fire.

(b)  Does not arise in view of reply to (a) above.

(c)   An enquiry was conducted by the Committee of two senior officers to determine the cause of the fire.

(d)  The enquiry Committee in its finding, concluded that a host of factors were possibly responsible for said fire which included old and worn out cables, old switch boards, water seepage in the ceiling walls and electric cable and heating of servers in a cramped area.

(e)  Some of the old and used office equipment such as mobile phones, old telephone instruments, adapters, etc were damaged in the fire.

(f)    Does not arise in view of reply to (a) above.

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