TIRUPATI: At around 8:15 A.M. on Friday, when the staff started arriving for work, there was a loud bang at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Administrative Building, in Bhavanipuram area of the town, like a powerful cracker going off, taking everyone by surprise.
With the sound coming from the direction of the lobby on the first floor, everyone rushed there to find a smoldering ruin of a battery used in the UPS system, right above the Treasury Hall of TTD. Some members of the staff doused the flames of the ruined battery casing, but waited for the fire service personnel to come and take care of the problem.
By the time the fire personnel arrived on the spot, the damage sustained in the building had been assessed. Glass pane on the front facade of the building lay shattered, so was the mirror on the wall near the lift on the first floor located near the lobby.
Technicians at the EDP centre got into the act and disconnected other batteries and repair works were under progress even after the office hours. There was a slight interruption in office network and call centre duties. According to TTD officials, they are installing a portion of the batteries so that in case of problem, there will not be any damage to other equipment.
What came as shock in the entire incident is that no alarm was heard. The security alarm was also not buzzed, though they were supposed to. It also came as a surprise to find that the staff was not trained in the use of fire safety equipment provided in the TTD administrative building.