ROURKELA: Three persons were injured after a tensile roofing structure collapsed onto a car during heavy rain in front of the Rourkela railway station building here on Monday morning.
While two of the injured were treated for minor injuries and discharged later, a woman who suffered serious injuries was admitted to JP Hospital here.
Following the incident, the South Eastern Railway (SER) announced stringent action against the contractual agency responsible for executing the work. The incident occurred around 9.05 am.
Incidentally, the agency which had installed the canopy had carried out poor-quality work, following which the SER issued a notice in May. However, the damaged structure remained unrepaired.
Soon after the incident, authorities of SER’s Chakradharpur division said strict action had been initiated against the agency for the collapse of the tensile roofing canopy. The entire cost of the structure would be recovered from the agency, besides forfeiture of its security deposit and performance guarantee, they said.
In a statement, the zonal authorities said the canopy comprised an RCC foundation, structural steel framework and tensile fabric roofing. The work was completed in October 2025 and was covered by a seven-year guarantee.
Following heavy winds on May 27, nearly half of the roofing was torn apart, exposing deficiencies in the materials, workmanship and execution, the SER said.
On the same day, the railway administration issued a formal notice directing the agency to rectify the damage and submit an IIT-vetted design within a month. However, the agency failed to carry out the required repairs or replace the damaged canopy, the SER admitted.
Government Railway Police (GRP) Station IIC Sasmita Sahu said the overhead tensile fabric canopy had been damaged and torn at multiple places. With rainwater accumulating on it overnight, the structure eventually gave way under the weight.
“If a complaint is received from the aggrieved persons, a case would be registered and appropriate legal action taken,” she said.
Meanwhile, Monday’s rain brought further misery to residents, with the parking lot in front of the station’s second entrance on the northern side, along with the adjacent low-lying pocket of Indiranagar slum, remaining inundated for several hours.
Sources attributed the frequent waterlogging to faulty drainage engineering. After the establishment of the third line by the SER, the new drain reportedly became incapable of ensuring smooth and speedy evacuation of rainwater. The problem is compounded by clogging of the drain.
The nearby Gurudwara Road stretch also witnessed waterlogging. The city recorded around 61 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours preceding Monday morning.
Engineer suspended
After the incident the senior section engineer (works) at Rourkela was placed under suspension. Senior divisional commercial officer and spokesperson of Chakradharpur railway division Aditya Chaudhury confirmed the suspension and said a high-level inquiry would be conducted to fix responsibility and prevent similar occurrence in future.
