False ceiling panels collapse at Chennai domestic terminal

Twenty panels – each measuring 4x4 feet – of the false ceiling in the departure area of the Chennai airport’s new domestic terminal came crashing down early on Monday.

No one was reported injured in the incident as there were no passengers or any other airport employee found in the area at the time.

H.S. Suresh, Chennai Airport Director, said 60 square metres of the panels’ false ceiling near the security hold area, known as the ‘bus lounge’ located at the ground floor of the new terminal, fell around 2 a.m.. As the panels collapsed near the boarding gates H1 and H2, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) closed the area. These have been cordoned off and gates H3 and H4 have been put to use, he said.

A team of officials examined the spot and said it would be fixed before this evening. “We are yet to ascertain the reasons for the fall [sic]. An investigation has been ordered into it and a case has been registered with the Trisulam police in this regard,” Mr. Suresh added.

The false ceiling is made partly of gypsum board and partly of light-weight glasswool re-inforced ceiling tiles. These tiles are mainly used to reduce noise levels inside the terminal buildings, Mr. Suresh said.

A senior AAI official said that the crashing of the false ceiling could have been due to the opening of a door in the bus lounge. The officer said that there was heavy wind pressure last night. Someone unknowingly could have opened the door leading to the collapse of the false ceilings. The wind may have entered a portion of the ceiling and filled the entire area with no way to escape. No proper safety audit has been done before commissioning the terminal, the officer said.

New terminal not covered under insurance

Another officer pointed out that the recently commissioned new domestic terminal has not been covered by insurance. Officials from the AAI headquarters need to provide insurance cover, depending upon the value of the building. Under the present circumstances, as the new building is not provided insurance coverage, a major mishap would lead to technical hassles while claiming compensations.