Copies of many of the files destroyed in the fire can be retrieved from departments that sent them to Mantralaya for scrutiny or approval, but files sent in by individuals are gone for good

Now that the fire has been doused, babus at Mantralaya have a Herculean task ahead of them - retrieving thousands of files that were lost to the fire, some of which contained confidential information, while others recorded data crucial to the administration of the state.

The good news is that the originals of many of these files can be traced back to the departments from which they were forwarded to the Mantralaya. For instance, when MMRDA or CIDCO send files for scrutiny or approval to the Mantralaya office of their parent department - the town planning department - they retain back-up copies of the files for their own reference. But there's bad news too - files submitted by members of the general public may be lost completely, having no back-ups.