Public servants return home on Monday because of smoky building

Several of the offices housed at the Administrative Centre on Bay Street, which suffered fire and water damage on October 15, are now operational again.{{more}}

Employees of all government departments in the building, except for those operating from the second floor, where the fire started, returned to work last Monday, after the building was thoroughly cleaned.

However, after only a few hours back at work, the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Consumer Affairs, who are housed on the third floor, were asked to vacate the floor by the Public Health Department, after some employees became ill.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday said “On Monday morning, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to send home three members of staff, because of respiratory problems; because there was still a certain amount of smoke; the air wasn’t very clean and fresh.”

This week, the Permanent Secretary in that ministry and two other members of his staff temporarily set up office at the Ministry of Telecommunications, the prime minister said.

Persons seeking Traders Licences will be accommodated at the Customs and Excise Department, where the Minstry of Trade has set up a desk, staffed by two officers.

However, this is only until today, Friday, as employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Consumer Affairs are expected to return to the Administrative Building next Monday.

Meanwhile, all the offices formerly housed on the second floor, where the fire took place, have been relocated until further notice.

The Ministry of Finance and Invest SVG are now housed on the top floor of the new Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Building on Halifax Street.

The office of the Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit is located in the space occupied by the Ministry of Telecommunications in the CLICO building on Bay Street, while the Census Office has found a home in the National Insurance Services building at upper Bay Street.

In relation to the cause of the fire, the Prime Minister said the local fire service has received assistance with their investigation from officers of the Fire Service of Trinidad and Tobago who arrived here over the last weekend. He however said he had not yet received the official report.