Fire broke out on Friday in the under-construction New Secretariat at Hyderabad prompting the Opposition to demand that the inauguration of the building should be postponed to 14 April, the birth anniversary of Babasaheb BR Ambedkar after whom it has been named.

The new secretariat is slated to be inaugurated on 17 February to coincide with the birthday of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar in the presence of regional satraps like Stalin and Hemant Soren. The Opposition has blamed it on the rush to finish the work before the inauguration, which is just a fortnight away, for the fire incident.

Although there were no casualties due to the fire that started in the wee hours, Opposition leaders sounded a warning to the state government after a number of fire incidents in the city that took place recently. Alleging that rules and regulations were being flouted in the haste to meet the 17 February deadline, state Congress chief A Revanth Reddy wanted the chief minister to call an all-party meeting on the matter.

“Is this a monarchy that the inauguration must be held on his birthday,” asked Reddy in a Twitter post. The police also arrested the Congress leaders who wanted to enter the Secretariat to probe the causes behind the fire.

The BJP also expressed concern over the incident of fire and demanded that the inauguration should be postponed. BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar said, “The inauguration of the new secretariat slated on the chief minister’s birthday should be postponed. The new Secretariat should be inaugurated on the birth anniversary of the Father of the Constitution, Dr BR Ambedkar.”

He also demanded that a fire safety audit be carried out in the city after a series of incidents of fire. BJP spokesperson NV Subhash expressed concern over safety standards of the new building.

The fire started in the top floors where woodwork was being carried out and there was thick smoke engulfing the area. Eleven fire engines were pressed into service to control the fire. Fire department DG YS Nagi Reddy and other senior officials visited the spot. The actual reasons for the fire are being ascertained.