Chennai news: Panic ensued at Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai, a multi-storied state government building in Chennai, after a sudden crack appeared in the floor tiles of its first floor on Thursday. Staff members, fearing a structural failure, rushed out of the building.
The incident prompted immediate concerns about the stability of the building, which houses multiple government departments.
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Tamil Nadu Public Works, Highways, and Minor Ports Minister E V Velu, who visited the site along with a team of engineers, reassured the staff and the public about the structure's safety, as per a report on PTI. After inspecting the building, which was constructed in 1974 within the historic Fort St George complex, Minister Velu stated, “There’s no threat to the Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai building. It is stable.”
The minister explained that the crack was limited to the tiles on the first floor of the building's agriculture department. The tiles, laid about 14 years ago, had developed what Velu referred to as an "air crack" due to aging. He emphasised that the structural integrity of the building was intact and that the issue would be rectified swiftly.
“The PWD chief engineer, executive engineer, and other officials inspected and confirmed that the building was stable,” said Velu, as per the report. He added that the necessary repairs would be completed by today or tomorrow and assured everyone that there was no reason to panic. Following this assurance, staff members resumed their work inside the building.
This incident comes in the wake of a tragic building collapse in Bengaluru, which claimed the lives of eight people, raising heightened sensitivity towards structural issues in public buildings.