KOCHI: Around 100 clay roof tiles of Sree Narayana High School at Okkal were dislodged and damaged allegedly due to the thrust of a flight landing at Cochin International Airport (CIAL) on Tuesday night. The incident occurred between 8 pm and 9 pm when the school was unoccupied.
The damage was noticed by the school security staff on Wednesday morning while preparations were under way for a science fest scheduled at the school. Several tiles were found on the floor inside and outside the single-storey building, while a number of others were left broken but still in place.
The building houses the school auditorium where programmes are regularly held and is located close to the school office. “About 100 tiles were found on the floor inside the building and outside the school. Several other tiles were also broken but had not fallen. We have informed the district education department, panchayat, village office, tehsildar and district collector. We are also preparing a letter to be sent to CIAL,” said headmistress Sini Peethan.
The school authorities said they have become increasingly concerned about flights flying at a low altitude over the area and the wind and pressure generated during landing. Since the incident occurred at night when there were no students or staff in the building, possible injuries were avoided.
Residents of Okkal Thuruthu ward said similar incidents have been reported in the area, particularly this year, and alleged that no effective measures have been taken despite complaints.
Around six months ago, a resident, MV Joy, had complained to the authorities after the roof tiles of his house were damaged in a similar incident. According to Joy, airport authorities had visited the site and inspected the damage, but no further action followed.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties. The incident happened during the day when people were inside the house, and I suffered a loss of around Rs 22,000. Though airport authorities visited and inspected the site, no action was taken,” Joy said.
Residents said the problem has also affected other houses in the locality. However, many have not formally complained as the damage in their cases was limited to a few tiles.
Joy said the extent of damage depends on where the force hits the roof. “If it hits a corner, the impact is less. But when it hits the central portion, the adjacent tiles are also affected, and the damage becomes bigger,” he said.
Residents also said that when the issue was raised with the airport authorities, they were told that the panchayat would have to provide assistance as the affected locations fell outside the airport's jurisdiction.
Okkal Thuruthu ward president Abdul Fazil said the panchayat had received CCTV footage of Tuesday night's incident and forwarded it to the authorities for inspection. The latest incident has renewed concerns among residents and the school authorities over the impact of aircraft operations on buildings located along the flight path. They are seeking an assessment of the recurring incidents and measures to prevent further damage.
