Chandigarh: False ceiling comes crashing down at New Secretariat, no one hurt
No one was present in the area when the ceiling came down at the canteen, which is located on the ground floor of the New Secretariat
The false ceiling of the canteen at the New Secretariat building in Sector 9 collapsed on Wednesday night, raising questions on the quality of construction work that was completed just 10 months ago.
No one was present in the area when the ceiling came down at the canteen, which is located on the ground floor of the building. President Droupadi Murmu had inaugurated the building on October 9, 2022.
An employee said when the staff returned to work on Thursday morning, they were shocked to find the entire ceiling lying on the ground.
Spread over 2.63 acres, the New Secretariat building was constructed at a cost of ₹80 crore and is the city’s first five-star-rated green building with a minimal carbon footprint. The building is located between the new Chandigarh Housing Board building and the Chandigarh Police headquarters in Sector 9.
It houses various offices, a multi-purpose hall, a conference room, a gym and a post office, along with a parking area for at least 200 vehicles. All administrative officers are accommodated in the building.
When contacted, UT chief engineer CB Ojha said electricians were installing some wiring on Wednesday evening and could not fix the ceiling boards properly that resulted in them crashing down.
Earlier on July 11, there were reports of water leakage in the building, following which the UT administration had sought a report from officers concerned.
