Chennai: Faulty ramps, leaking air-conditioning ducts, dirty restrooms, cracked glass panels — and now crashing ceiling panels. Problems are piling up for the new Chennai airport.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the false ceiling panels fell in the small hours of Monday due to heavy winds, but this incident is only indicative of the engineering deficiencies in the new domestic terminal.
“As it is, the false ceiling was weak and damp, and so when heavy winds blew in, it crashed. We suspect that the panels had not been secured or installed properly. Had the safety audit (which took place in the first week of April before the terminal was opened) been carried out diligently, this might not have occurred,” said an AAI official. This incident is not new to the Chennai airport — false ceiling panels at the old international terminal collapsed in September last year. “But those panels gave way because they were old and due to be replaced. This excuse is not valid for a brand new terminal,” the official added.
Meteorological department officials said the wind speed recorded in Meenambakkam around 2 a.m. on Monday stood at 45 km/hr, which is not very high.
14/05/13 Sunitha Sekar/The HinduA
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Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the false ceiling panels fell in the small hours of Monday due to heavy winds, but this incident is only indicative of the engineering deficiencies in the new domestic terminal.
“As it is, the false ceiling was weak and damp, and so when heavy winds blew in, it crashed. We suspect that the panels had not been secured or installed properly. Had the safety audit (which took place in the first week of April before the terminal was opened) been carried out diligently, this might not have occurred,” said an AAI official. This incident is not new to the Chennai airport — false ceiling panels at the old international terminal collapsed in September last year. “But those panels gave way because they were old and due to be replaced. This excuse is not valid for a brand new terminal,” the official added.
Meteorological department officials said the wind speed recorded in Meenambakkam around 2 a.m. on Monday stood at 45 km/hr, which is not very high.
14/05/13 Sunitha Sekar/The HinduA
