Glass panels and sections of the false ceiling at Chennai airport have collapsed with bizarre frequency.
Glass sheets coming crashing down at the Chennai airport occur so frequently that the National Human Rights Commission sought an explanation from airport officials as well as the Civil Aviation Ministry.
For the 66th time since the airport was renovated in 2012, there was an accident - a glass panel fell 20 feet away in a corridor between the old and new terminals. Airport officials said that nobody was injured.
Glass panels and sections of the false ceiling have collapsed with bizarre frequency at the domestic and international terminals. The airport was upgraded four years ago for a cost of Rs 2,200 crore.
The National Human Rights Commission has been informed that the airport's structural design is not defective, but that the glass used all around the modernized terminal is "impure". In last night's case, the glass sheet broke under the impact of renovation work being carried out nearby, said Airport Director Deepak Sastri.
The Airports Authority of India, tasked with maintaining terminals, has been given a 35-lakh contract in Chennai to assess the condition of the glass panels that are the prevailing design element of the terminal and replace sections that are found infirm with sturdier sheets.
In 2014, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju ordered a surprise check of the airport; the result was an F on pretty much all fronts. Bathrooms and the food court were filthy, windows were broken and several members of parliament complained poor baggage-handling and other facilities.
A survey last year found Chennai the 7th worst in Asia.