BHUBANESWAR: A portion of the ceiling near the mayor’s chamber at Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters collapsed on Tuesday, raising concern on employees’ safety at the newly-constructed BMC-ICOMC building at Janpath road.
The incident occurred at around 8 am when cleaning staff were on duty inside the building. However, a major mishap was averted as no one was present at the spot where the ceiling caved in. Sources attributed the incident to the seepage from the AC system which they believe might have weakened the structure and resulted in collapse of the ceiling.
“Initially, a large chunk of the ceiling came crashing down. Later another small portion of it fell to the ground. Luckily, no one was injured as the workers were not present at the site,” said a cleaning staff.
While employees raised concern over safety of the building, mayor Sulochana Das said the building was being maintained properly. However, the portion of the ceiling collapsed before it could be replaced, she added.
The incident, meanwhile, has raised questions over the quality of work carried out in the newly-built structure. The 11-storey BMC-ICOMC tower had been inaugurated by the previous BJD government in February 2023. Apart from BMC headquarters, the tower houses the office of Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and the City Command Control Centre. A leading global professional services firm has also opened its state office in the tower.