The ceiling of a room leading to the terrace of the Egmore post office on Kenneth Lane collapsed on Monday evening. No one was injured in the incident.
According to officials, a large concrete block fell on the staircase connecting the third and fourth floor of the building. The staircase is just a few feet away from a set of rooms used as a resting space by postal department employees who travel between districts.
Personnel of the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) helped in clearing the debris without causing further damage to the walls.
Around 3.45 p.m., staff in the rooms on the third floor heard a loud noise. “When we rushed out, there was a huge concrete slab lying on the stairs. Luckily, the door near our rooms which opens to the stairs was closed. So no one was injured,” an employee said.
The building was inaugurated on July 15, 1985 and has been undergoing renovation work. “We started the work only on Monday and the labourers took up the area that was leaking first. After the ceiling collapsed, we asked them to stop the work,” said a postal department official.
There are three resting rooms on the third floor and employees complain that they are in bad condition. “There are cracks on the wall,” said an employee. They also said the the building was dilapidated.
