One more glass panel crashed at the Chennai airport on Saturday night, the latest in a series of infrastructural accidents at the facility.
Around 11 p.m., a glass panel measuring 12X4 fell near gate no. 2 of the departure hall of the domestic terminal. No one was injured in the incident.
Since January 2013, when the terminals of the Chennai airport were inaugurated, there have been at least 15 instances of glass panels cracking and collapsing.
In some cases, however, either the staff at airport or passengers have accidentally rammed the glass panels, leading to their breakage.
‘Railings created’
Airport director Deepak Shastri said, “These glass panels are the best ones available. We don’t know why such incidents are occurring this often. It is not possible for us to individually inspect 7,000 glass panels of the terminals. So, we have created railings near the glass panels to prevent passengers from being affected in case of an incident.”
Recently, AAI Chairman R.K. Srivastava said he had suggested the installation of new equipment and training of manpower to improve maintenance at airport.
Training
“We have already started training our staff for the better upkeep of the airport. As for purchase of new equipment, we will buy it only if we think the existing resources are not sufficient,” Mr. Shastri said.
Also, some fire escapes in the terminals have remained locked for a while now.
“If we leave it open, it may create security problems. So, in case of fire, people can easily break the lock and exit,” he added.
Panel measuring 12x4 fell near gate no. 2 of the departure hall of the domestic terminal
At least 15 instances of glass panels cracking and collapsing since January 2013
